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road

road

∞ 1.0
A wide hard surface for cars and people to travel between places
  • noun
  • /roʊd/
: carretera
  • When you get to the refinery, turn off the highway onto the dirt road.
  • toll road
  • road signs
  • road traffic

My wing wound up beside the road, left for dead.

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Examples

  • Please be careful when crossing the road near the school.

  • The houses on this side of the road are odd.

  • I was walking down the road and I saw...

  • I walk the same road to work each Monday.

  • So everyone is using our road to get to the main road.

  • Today we are going on a road trip to Utrecht.

  • If you're looking for gas, you could drive up the road about two miles.

  • There's a coffee shop up on the main road, up to the left.

  • I'd pass automobiles on the road that had broken down with whole families in them.

    Academic text (2011)
  • "We have 40 to 50 trucks on the road every day," says Reiter.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

roadway
vsroad
56 2.0

The part of a road where cars and buses drive

is the whole wide hard travel surface used by everyone
main road
vsroad
35 1.1

A big road that carries most traffic and connects towns

is any wide hard surface for travel not only major motor routes
thoroughfare
vsroad
19 5.1

A main road that people use to travel between places

is any wide hard surface for travel not only main public routes
wheelway
vsroad
  • UK
7.4

A path for bicycles and other vehicles with wheels

is a wide hard surface for travel used by vehicles and people

Idioms

476 3.4

Travelling from place to place for work, like a band or sports team

188 3.7

At a time in the future

26 6.0

A choice to do the right thing instead of getting revenge

To do the right thing and not respond angrily

for the road
  • Informal
21 8.0

A final drink with alcohol you have before leaving a social event

bump in the road
  • Informal
19 3.7

A small problem that slows progress for a short time

one for the road
  • Informal
7 6.6

A final drink, usually alcoholic, before leaving

To start something after getting everything ready

Act in a less honest way to get an advantage

road to Damascus
  • Literature
2 9.0

A sudden big change in what someone believes or values that changes their life

The moment when plans or ideas are tested in real life

to own the road
  • Informal
1 8.6

Drive in a confident, aggressive way that ignores other drivers

9.9

A vehicle or object lying across a road that blocks traffic

Start an activity or event after getting ready

To take actions that seem good but cause bad results

To start a journey into the unknown that brings adventure and personal change

Compounds

35 1.1

A big road that carries most traffic and connects towns

18 3.1

A small quiet road used to avoid traffic and reach local homes

18 3.5

A plan that shows steps to reach a goal

road rage
  • NSFW
12 3.9

Angry or violent actions by drivers toward other people because of traffic

A place where a road divides into two paths or a time to choose between two options

Something that is not extreme in politics or personal tastes

9 2.9

A short road that leads to a main road like a highway

9 3.5

A sports game played at the opponent's place, not at home

7 1.7

A small road that turns off a main road

7 2.5

A road you must pay to drive on, often a highway

low road
  • Informal
5 7.0

A way of acting that is dishonest or unfair

Work to make or repair roads, like paving and preparing the ground

5 3.2

A small road that runs next to a main road and gives access to homes and shops

4 4.2

A network of old trade routes linking China with the Mediterranean

rocky road
  • Informal
4 5.7

A time with many problems

4 2.3

A map that shows roads and highways to help you find routes

4 7.2

A path toward a dream that has problems and surprises

3 2.8

A drive when someone checks if a car is safe to use on the road

3 3.3

A road owned by a person or company that leads to a house and is not for public use

3 5.7

Skin scraped when someone falls or slides on hard ground

3 1.6

A street that mainly lets people reach nearby homes and shops rather than pass through

3 6.8

A choice that few people make because it is different from what most people do

2 4.0

A local street beside a highway that gives access to shops and houses

2 3.2

A main road that goes around a city to avoid the center

2 3.0

The top layer of a road that vehicles drive on

1 2.8

A person or company that makes roads for a living

1 4.2

A group of workers who build or fix roads

1 4.2

A show that travels to different places for people to see

road show
  • Jargon
1 4.8

A series of presentations in different cities to meet people who might invest

road hog
  • Offensive
1 6.8

A driver who takes more than their share of the road and blocks other cars

1 7.2

A road built during World War II to carry supplies from Burma into China

1 3.0

A road with many curves and sharp turns

arterial road
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A major road that carries a lot of traffic and connects important parts of a city

1 3.6

Relating to the countryside and a simple, not fancy way of life

1 4.5

A network of new trade and transport projects led by China

A wider part of a road where cars can pull over

7.2

A path for riding or leading horses, not for cars

road agent
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who stops and robs travelers on the road in the Old West, often from stagecoaches

5.2

A skin scrape you get when you fall or slide on a road

4.8

A person who fixes and keeps roads in good condition

7.7

Small broken stones that people use to make or fix roads

road pizza
  • Slang
9.9

A tire or object smashed flat on the road after a crash

road roller
  • Specialized
2.9

A heavy vehicle with wide smooth drums that flattens and hardens road surfaces

A person who runs long races on roads like marathons

Knowing how to notice and avoid danger on the road

royal road
  • Informal
7.0

An easy way to reach success or a goal

post road
  • Archaic
8.6

A road used for carrying mail in the past

3.5

A main road that carries traffic over long distances between towns and cities

skid road
  • Specialized
8.6

A rough road made of logs for dragging cut trees

skid road
  • Archaic
8.4

A rough part of town with bars where loggers gather

3.4

A short road that lets vehicles join or leave a main road like a motorway

How Big

motorway
  • UK
9 1.8
highway
629 1.0
avenue
670 1.0
road
∞ 1.0
lane
405 1.0
track
∞ 2.2

Surface Forms

road singular
roads plural

Etymology

Road comes from an old English word rād meaning 'ride' or 'journey', the same root as ride. So a road is a way made for riding or travel, which is why we use it for the wide, hard surface that vehicles and people travel on.