highway

highway — noun

1. a wide road built for cars and trucks to travel quickly between towns and cities

1.nounA2
Definition

a wide road built for cars and trucks to travel quickly between towns and cities over long distances

Example

Priya drove on Highway 5 from Tijuana to Ensenada to see the ocean views.

highway + number for named routes

A truck broke down on the highway near Kofi's farm, blocking traffic for hours.

collocation: highway traffic

Common collocations
  • highway patrol
  • highway system
  • highway exit
  • highway bridge
  • highway construction
  • highway robbery
Synonyms
  • motorway

    British English term for the same concept; 'motorway' implies restricted access and higher speed limits.

  • freeway

    American term for a highway with no tolls and controlled access via on-ramps and off-ramps.

  • expressway

    A divided highway designed for fast traffic, often with partial access control.

  • thoroughfare

    A more formal, general term for any main public road that carries through traffic.

Antonyms
  • side street

    A small local road branching off a main road, carrying only light traffic.

  • back road

    A minor country road rarely used by through traffic.

Grammar Patterns

highway + [number] for named routes

Usage Note

In British English, the more common term for a high-speed long-distance road is 'motorway'. 'Highway' is standard in American and Canadian English for all types of public roads, including rural routes.

Common Mistakes

I drove on the highway from London to Manchester.
I drove on the motorway from London to Manchester.
In the UK, 'motorway' is the usual word for this type of road; 'highway' sounds American to British readers.
There was a highway in the middle of our neighbourhood.
There was a main road in the middle of our neighbourhood.
'Highway' suggests a road between cities, not a local street within a town.

2. any path, road, or stretch of water such as a river or canal that the public has

2.nounB2
Definition

any path, road, or stretch of water such as a river or canal that the public has a legal right to use for travel

Example

The footpath behind Leila's cottage is a public highway that anyone may walk on.

legal sense: public highway

Under English law, certain rivers are classified as public highways for boat navigation.

formal register: classified as a highway

Common collocations
  • public highway
  • navigable highway
  • highway authority
  • highway land
Synonyms
  • public right-of-way

    The precise legal term for a route the public can legally use; 'highway' is an older legal synonym in UK law.

  • public way

    A simpler legal term; broader in scope but less common in modern statutes.

Antonyms
  • private road

    A road owned by an individual or organisation that the public does not have the right to use.

  • restricted area

    Any land or waterway where public access is prohibited by law.

Grammar Patterns

classified as a public highway

public highway

Usage Note

This sense appears almost exclusively in legal and formal writing, especially in UK property law. Unlike sense 1, it covers not only roads but also footpaths, bridleways, and waterways. Frequently found in the phrase 'public highway'.

Common Mistakes

I walked on a public highway near the beach.' (vague)
The coastal path was designated a public highway under the Rights of Way Act.
When using this legal sense, specify the legal or official context rather than using it as a synonym for 'road'.
Idioms

highway robbery

idiom

a situation in which someone charges a price that is unreasonably high, far beyond what is fair

Tomás paid fifteen dollars for a bottle of water at the airport and called it highway robbery.

Charging two hundred dollars to fix a simple leak struck Nadia as pure highway robbery.

my way or the highway

idiom

used to say that someone must accept your conditions or demands or else leave the situation entirely; no compromise is offered

The new manager told the team it was his way or the highway, so several members quit.

When Hana refused to share the budget, her partner said it was my way or the highway.

Word family

  • highwayman
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all describe fast roads for long-distance travel, but they differ by region and design. 'Highway' is the broadest term in American English, covering any main public road between towns; in the UK it sounds formal or legal. 'Motorway' is the standard British term for a controlled-access road with no direct private entrances — the equivalent of the US 'freeway'. 'Freeway' specifically means a highway with no stoplights or tolls, accessible only by ramps. 'Expressway' is similar but may have at-grade intersections in some areas. For everyday use: in America, say 'highway' or 'freeway'; in Britain, say 'motorway'. For example, 'Aiko took the highway from San Diego to Los Angeles' versus 'Diego took the motorway from Birmingham to Manchester'.

highway ↗motorway ↗freeway ↗expressway

Common collocations

Nouns

  • highway system
  • highway network
  • highway patrol
  • highway exit
  • highway traffic
  • highway code

Phrases

  • highway and byway

Prepositions

  • on the highway
  • along the highway
  • off the highway
  • by highway

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'highway' comes from Old English 'heahweg' (heah = high, weg = way). It originally meant a main road raised above the surrounding land for drainage and visibility, especially one built by the Romans. Over time 'high' shifted from meaning 'physically elevated' to 'important' or 'primary', giving the word its modern sense of a major public road connecting distant places.