freeway

F4R1E1E1W4A1Y4
/ˈfɹiː.weɪ/British, Southern, Standard/ˈfɹɪjwɛj/

noun

A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each

Similar
motorwayexpresswayautorouteautobahninterstate[:w:Interstate Highway System|Interstate Highway System]]>limited-access highwaycontrolled-access highwaypike
Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

nounfreeway (plural freeways)

plural freeways · alternative fwy

  1. USParts of Canada and AustraliaA highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each

    Contrary to what one might expect of an essay on freeways, this one is neither a diatribe nor a paean.

    1983, David Brodsly, L. A. Freeway: An Appreciative Essay, page 1
    3 more examples

    A 106-kilometer section of this 117-kilometer new freeway (between Hsinchu and Hsichih 汐止) was opened to traffic in 1997, and the entire line will be finished in December 1999.

    1999 June, “Transportation”, in A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China, Government Information Office, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 110

    In the late 1950s and 1960s most large cities started planning freeway systems, acknowledging the incredible growth in car ownership.

    2008, Derek Hayes, Canada: An Illustrated History, page 257

    The Australian freeway story of the late twentieth century, like many planning stories, can be told as one of high technical expectations dashed by political controversy.

    2010, Robert Freestone, Urban Nation: Australia′s Planning Heritage, page 161

    Synonyms: motorway, expressway, autoroute, autobahn, interstate[:w:Interstate Highway System|Interstate Highway System]]>, limited-access highway, controlled-access highway

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions on one separate carriageway each

Similar
motorwayexpresswayautorouteautobahninterstate[:w:Interstate Highway System|Interstate Highway System]]>limited-access highwaycontrolled-access highway

nounA toll-free highway.

More synonyms by meaning

nouna broad highway designed for high-speed traffic

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Hungarian autópálya, autósztráda
  • autópályamotorway
  • autósztrádamotorway
  • sztrádamotorway
Polish autostrada
  • autostradamotorway

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with freeway

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

freeway. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freeway

MLA

“freeway.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freeway. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “freeway,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/freeway.

Source: freeway on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.