Dictionary

motorway en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈməwtəwɛj/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈməʊtəweɪ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From motor + way.

Meanings

1. (Ireland, New-South-Wales, New-Zealand, UK) A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic (in Europe motor vehicles with a higher speed limit than 40 km/h) running in two directions on one separate carriageway each.
   • It is presumed that in the working out of the program the motor trucks will automatically have the major use of the local low-speed highways paralleling the motorway. 1925 December, C. L. Norton, “Our Industrial Highways”, in Trade Winds, volume 4, number 10:
   • Charging stations for electric vehicles must be placed along the main European motorways at least every 60 kilometres from 2026, the European Parliament decided on Tuesday. 2023 July 12, “Electric vehicle charging stations to be installed every 60 km on European motorways”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), The Brussels Times:
   • All the R. R.'s of America will have to be furnished with a biking way and a motor way on each side of the rails. 1895 October, “Real Estate”, in California Banker's Magazine, page 429:
   • An alternative transit route that bypasses the metropolis’ traffic-filled streets, the 400-kilometer (248.5-mile) North Marmara Motorway starts on the western side of Istanbul and ends in the eastern Marmara province of Sakarya. 2021 May 21, “Turkey opens last section of new highway connecting Asia to Europe”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Daily Sabah:
   • Work of constructing the Texas Motorway, a stone highway which when completed will extend from Fort Worth to Del Rio, Tex., a distance of 500 miles, has been commenced and a section between 18 and 20 miles long running out from Glenrose, the county seat of Somervell County, has been completed. 1913 September 20, Good Roads, page 137:
   • In 1959, Ernest Marples became the new Minister of Transport. His business career had been as a road builder and he saw the future in a network of motorways, whereas he believed there was serious overcapacity in the railway network. 2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 43:
   • One national agency is responsible for developing and maintaining the national motorway system, which typically is a small fraction of the entire roadway network. (page 8) 2001 June 14, Jim Brewer, John German, ..., “Geometric Design Practices for European Roads”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Office of International Programs, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Washington:
2. (US) A racetrack venue designated especially for the sport of auto racing.
   • The 9-degree banking you see in the Speedway’s four turns is believed to be the first intentionally banked motorway in the United States. 2020 July 13, Jeff Olson, “Race To Develop Automotive, Safety Technology Never Stops at IMS”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), Indianapolis Motor Speedway, archived from the original on 16 Dec 2021:
   • In December, track operators replaced the crushed rock with brick, earning the motorway the nickname, Brickyard. 2018, Paul R. Wonning, A Year of Indiana History Stories, volume 1, Greensburg, Indiana: Mossy Feet Books, page 250:

Forms

Deriveds

managed motorway · orbital motorway · smart motorway

Synonyms

expressway · freeway · highway · speedway · autoroute

Translations (111)

vi đường cao tốc (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lb Autobunn (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ja 自動車道 (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tk awtostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · fa آزادراه (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · it autostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · az avtomagistral (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sl avtocesta (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nl snelweg (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · bg а́втомагистра́ла (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · cmn 高速公路 (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ka ავტოსტრადა (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · cy traffordd (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · no motorvei (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · hi द्रुतमार्ग (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tr otoyol (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · th มอเตอร์เวย์ (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · gsw autobahn (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · wa otostråde (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · is hraðbraut (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · pl autostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · el αυτοκινητόδρομος υπερταχείας κυκλοφορίας (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · wa otovoye (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ca autovia (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · da motorvej (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · oc autorota (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · id jalan bebas hambatan terkendali (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ext autopista (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · gl autoestrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nrf motoroute (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · kk автострада (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sh а̀утопӯт (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tg автострада (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lv automaģistrāle (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru магистра́ль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · vi đường trục ô tô (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sq autostradë (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ga mótarbhealach (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru автоба́н (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ms lebuh raya (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru автостра́да (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · hu autósztráda (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · kk автомагистраль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · de Autobahn (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · et maantee (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · az avtomaqistral (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nap autostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · es autovía (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sco motorwey (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uk автостра́да (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · wa otorote (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · eu autobide (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · fr autoroute (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lv autostrāde (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ky автомагистраль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · az avtostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sv motorväg (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tg автомагистрал (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sh autocèsta (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nl autosnelweg (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · af snelweg (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · th ทางด่วน (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru фри́вей (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · vi đường ô tô chính (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uk автомагістра́ль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sh аутоцѐста (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uz avtomagistral (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · es autopista (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lt automagistralė (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nrf autoroute (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru автомагистра́ль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nn motorveg (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · vep avtomagistralʹ (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · de Kraftfahrstraße (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · hu autópálya (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lo ທາງດ່ວນ (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru шоссе (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · pms autostrà (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · cmn 快速公路 (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · mk автопат (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · fa اتوبان (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ja 高速道路 (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ar طَرِيق سَرِيع (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · la autovia (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uz avtostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · hy ավտոմայրուղի (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · be аўтамагістра́ль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sh àutopūt (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · sk diaľnica (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uk автоба́н (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ca autopista (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ar أُوتُوسْتْرَاد (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tk awtomagistral (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · el δρόμος χωρίς διόδια (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · uk магістра́ль (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ky автострада (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · cs dálnice (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · eo aŭtovojo (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ko 고속도로 (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · szl autobana (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · pt autoestrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · bn ফ্রিওয়ে (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · fi moottoritie (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ka ავტომაგისტრალი (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · nb motorvei (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · lt autostrada (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · yi אויטאָסטראַט (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · tr otoban (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ru фриве́й (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · ro autostradă (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic) · fy autodyk (highway designed for high-speed motor-traffic)