Definition of 'road'

road

(roʊd )

Word forms: plural roads

1. countable noun [oft in names, oft by NOUN]

A road is a long piece of hard ground which is built between two places so that people can drive or ride easily from one place to the other.

There was very little traffic on the roads.

We just go straight up the Bristol Road.

He was coming down the road the same time as the girl was turning into the lane.

Buses carry 30 per cent of those travelling by road.

...road accidents.

Synonyms: roadway, street, highway, motorway More Synonyms of road

2. countable noun [usually singular]

The road to a particular result is the means of achieving it or the process of achieving it.

We are bound to see some ups and downs along the road to recovery. [+ to]

See to hit the road

See on the road

6. the end of the road

More Synonyms of road

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road

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road

road in British English

(rəʊd )

noun

an open way, usually surfaced with asphalt or concrete, providing passage from one place to another

(as modifier)

road traffic

a road map

a road sign

(in combination)

the roadside

a street

(capital when part of a name)

London Road

a. US short for railroad

b. British

one of the tracks of a railway

a way, path, or course

the road to fame

5. Also called: roadstead (often plural) nautical

a partly sheltered anchorage

a drift or tunnel in a mine, esp a level one

7. See hit the road

8. See on the road

9. See take the road

10. See one for the road

Derived forms

roadless (ˈroadless)

adjective

Word origin

Old English rād; related to rīdan to ride, and to Old Saxon rēda, Old Norse reith

road in American English

(roʊd )

noun

a way made for traveling between places, esp. distant places, by automobile, horseback, etc.; highway

a way; path; course

the road to fortune

3. US

railroad

4. [often pl.]

roadstead

adjective

5. Sport

designating a game or having to do with games played on another team's field, court, etc.

a road trip

Idioms:

Word origin

ME rode, a riding < OE rad, a ride, traveling on horseback, way; akin to ridan, to ride

road in American English

(roud)

noun

a long, narrow stretch with a smoothed or paved surface, made for traveling by motor vehicle, carriage, etc., between two or more points; street or highway

a way or course

the road to peace

a railroad

4. (often roads) Also called: roadstead Nautical

a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor

5. Mining

any tunnel in a mine used for hauling

6. See burn up the road

7. See down the road

8. See hit the road

9. See one for the road

10. See on the road

11. See take to the road

12. See the road

Derived forms

roadless

adjective

roadlessness

noun

Word origin

[bef. 900; ME rode, earlier rade, OE rād a riding, journey on horseback, akin to rīdan to ride]

Examples of 'road' in a sentence
road

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Then came the financial blow that forced him back on the road. Last season was his first training just across the road from his old boss.There is a long road ahead but no need to be pessimistic about the final destination.We were to stay on one road or take the other.The six of us follow the agents quietly back to the road.Those guys can hit the road.To an earlier generation, landscape would have meant drove roads and sunken lanes. Experts said that the rise could be explained by more people driving without insurance or by foreign motorists not being qualified to drive on British roads.Often in summer, owners feel they can't let their pets walk on a hot asphalt road.Why was the road not gritted again in the early morning?