back road

UK/ˈbæk ˌɹəʊd/US/ˈbæk ˌɹoʊd/

noun

A secondary road, a little-used road, a road through rural areas sometimes used as an alternative to main roads.

“There was too much traffic on the highway, so I used a back road. It was very scenic, but I had to keep the speed down.”

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Meanings

nounback road (plural back roads)

plural back roads

  1. A secondary road, a little-used road, a road through rural areas sometimes used as an alternative to main roads.

    There was too much traffic on the highway, so I used a back road. It was very scenic, but I had to keep the speed down.

    1 more example

    I knew it all. I knew every back road and every truck stop.

    1988, R.E.M., “Orange Crush”, in Green

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
byway

Translations

Finnish sivutie, takatie
  • sivutiea secondary road, a little used road
  • takatiea secondary road, a little used road
  • pikkutiea secondary road, a little used road
German Nebenstraße, Seitenstraße
  • Nebenstraßea secondary road, a little used road
  • Seitenstraßea secondary road, a little used road
Icelandic hliðarvegur, vegur fjarri alfaraleið
  • hliðarvegura secondary road, a little used road
  • vegur fjarri alfaraleiða secondary road, a little used road
Indonesian jalan tikus
  • jalan tikusa secondary road, a little used road
Polish podrzędna droga
  • podrzędna drogaa secondary road, a little used road
Cite this entry
APA

back road. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20road

MLA

“back road.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20road. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “back road,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20road.

Source: back road on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.