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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
52 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
40 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
18 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
1 7.4

A path for bicycles and other vehicles with wheels

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

Idioms

550 3.4

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

194 3.7

At a time in the future

31 6.0

A choice to do the right thing instead of getting revenge

To do the right thing and not respond angrily

bump in the road
  • Informal
20 3.7

A small problem that slows progress for a short time

for the road
  • Informal
9 8.0

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

one for the road
  • Informal
8 6.6

A final drink, usually alcoholic, before leaving

Act in a less honest way to get an advantage

road to Damascus
  • Literature
4 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 start something after getting everything ready

to own the road
  • Informal
1 8.6

Drive in a confident, aggressive way that ignores other drivers

1 9.1

To take actions that seem good but cause bad results

9.9

A vehicle or object lying across a road that blocks traffic

Start an activity or event after getting ready

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

Compounds

40 1.1

A big road that carries most traffic and connects towns

37 3.5

A plan that shows steps to reach a goal

28 3.1

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

road rage
  • NSFW
21 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

13 3.5

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

12 2.3

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

12 2.9

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

Something that is not extreme in politics or personal tastes

low road
  • Informal
10 7.0

A way of acting that is dishonest or unfair

9 7.2

A path toward a dream that has problems and surprises

9 2.5

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

8 1.7

A small road that turns off a main road

rocky road
  • Informal
8 5.7

A time with many problems

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

7 2.8

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

6 4.2

A network of old trade routes linking China with the Mediterranean

6 4.2

A show that travels to different places for people to see

5 3.2

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

5 6.8

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

4 5.7

Skin scraped when someone falls or slides on hard ground

3 4.5

A network of new trade and transport projects led by China

2 3.3

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

2 3.0

The top layer of a road that vehicles drive on

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 4.2

A group of workers who build or fix roads

2 1.6

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

road hog
  • Offensive
2 6.8

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

royal road
  • Informal
1 7.0

An easy way to reach success or a goal

1 3.0

A road with many curves and sharp turns

1 2.8

A person or company that makes roads for a living

1 5.2

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

1 3.4

A person who runs long races on roads like marathons

post road
  • Archaic
1 8.6

A road used for carrying mail in the past

arterial road
  • Specialized
1 3.2

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

1 3.5

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

1 7.2

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

A wider part of a road where cars can pull over

1 3.6

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

road show
  • Jargon
1 4.8

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

1 3.4

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

1 4.8

A person who fixes and keeps roads in good condition

road agent
  • Archaic
1 9.9

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

1 4.1

Knowing how to notice and avoid danger on the road

1 7.7

Small broken stones that people use to make or fix roads

road roller
  • Specialized
1 2.9

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

1 7.2

A path for riding or leading horses, not for cars

road pizza
  • Slang
1 9.9

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

skid road
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A rough part of town with bars where loggers gather

skid road
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A rough road made of logs for dragging cut trees

How Big

motorway
  • UK
8 1.8
highway
751 1.0
avenue
593 1.0
road
∞ 1.0
lane
469 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.