side road
- noun
- /ˈsaɪd roʊd/
- I discovered a charming café tucked away on a side road off the main highway.
We can drive up the side roads, end up in the Badlands which should have been a hint but end up getting stuck in a snow drift.
- We can drive up the side roads, end up in the Badlands which should have been a hint but end up getting stuck in a snow drift.
Examples
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It was on a side road outside of Los Angeles.
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We've taken a side road out of the park.
Fiction book (1993) -
Hold it, down that side road to the left.
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We'll just stay on these side roads now and we got it made.
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Work your way south on the side roads.
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It's on a side road about 20 miles from here.
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We take the first side road.
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Sometimes we decide to take a side road for a bit to admire something interesting or beautiful.
Blog text (11) -
The covered bridge on this page is on a small side road in New York State's Finger Lakes region.
Academic text (1999) -
The Toyota turns down a side road near the water and into the driveway of Sayer's small wooden house.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
A small street off a main road that usually ends there
A smaller road that goes off a main road
A small quiet street away from the main road or a less known place
A short road that lets vehicles join or leave a main road like a motorway
A small quiet side road in the countryside
Antonyms
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a minor road that branches off from a main road' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'side' (edge/adjacent) with 'road' (a route), forming a standard noun–noun compound that indicates a road at the side of a main one. This compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Side road makes a simple picture: a small side road running off a main street. Because it sits beside the main road, it means 'a minor road that branches off from a main road'.