Definition of 'motorway'
Word forms: plural motorways
variable noun
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Image of
motorway
© Rudmer Zwerver, Shutterstock
Video: pronunciation of
motorway
Word Frequency
motorway in British English
noun
British
a main road for fast-moving traffic, having limited access, separate carriageways for vehicles travelling in opposite directions, and usually a total of four or six lanes
US names: superhighway or (also Canadian) expresswayCollins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
motorway in American English
noun
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
motorway in American English
(ˈmoutərˌwei)
noun
Brit
an expressway
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1900–05; motor + way1]Examples of 'motorway' in a sentence
motorway
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Trends of
motorway
View usage for:
In other languages
motorway
British English: motorway
/ˈməʊtəˌweɪ/ NOUN
A motorway is a wide road specially built for fast travel over long distances.
- American English: freeway /ˈfriweɪ/
- Arabic: طَرِيقُ السَّيَارَاتِ
- Brazilian Portuguese: auto-estrada
- Chinese: 高速公路
- Croatian: autocesta
- Czech: dálnice
- Danish: motorvej
- Dutch: snelweg
- European Spanish: autopista
- Finnish: moottoritie
- French: autoroute
- German: Autobahn
- Greek: αυτοκινητόδρομος
- Italian: autostrada
- Japanese: 高速道路
- Korean: 고속도로
- Norwegian: motorvei
- Polish: autostrada
- European Portuguese: auto-estrada
- Romanian: autostradă
- Russian: автострада
- Latin American Spanish: autopista
- Swedish: motorväg
- Thai: ทางหลวง
- Turkish: otoyol
- Ukrainian: траса
- Vietnamese: đường cao tốc
Nearby words of
motorway
Related terms of
motorway
Source
Definition of motorway from theCollins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
weather or whether?
Which version is correct?
ridden or rode?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
ridden
rode
I have never a horse.
reek or wreak?
Which version is correct?
discreet or discrete?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
discreet
discrete
I don’t want anyone to know about this so please be .
plain or plane?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
plain
plane
A carpet makes a room look bigger.
Your score:
Latest Word Submissions
7 Shakespearean words to add to your vocabulary
It’s English Language Day! The annual event where language lovers come together to celebrate the great William Shakespeare and a chance to celebrate multilingualism in English-speaking countries around the globe. We’re celebrating with this list of 7 Shakespearean words to weave into your vocabulary. Without further ado, let us go forth.
Read more
What is brain fog anyway?
Brain fog has been on people’s minds in more ways than one during the pandemic and after the recent lockdownversary. Whether you’re struggling to concentrate in meetings, finding creative thinking nearly impossible, or you’ve lost interest in cracking into that latest bestseller, brain fog has become more common amongst the population.
Read more
Restore Our Earth
April 22 is Earth Day and this year’s slogan is ‘Restore Our Earth.’ Earth Day is older than you might suspect. So attuned are we now to environmental anxiety, aka solastalgia, that it’s easy to presume such an ecologically aware event must be a recent institution.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
fir or fur?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
fir
fur
It was a thick wood of and oak trees.
reek or wreak?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
wreak
reek
Violent storms could havoc on the French Riviera.
knight or night?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
knight
night
Who is the in shining armour?
taught or taut?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
taut
taught
The clothes line has been pulled .
carat or carrot?
Which version is correct?
Your score:

