Highway meaning in English
Learn how to use Highway correctly with Gymglish.
Test and improve your English. Start your free trial today.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Definition
a freeway (US), a motorway (UK): a big road with many lanes designed for high-speed traffic
Shall we take the scenic route or the freeway? There was an accident on the freeway and there are only 2 lanes open for 8 miles.
a highway (US): a main public road, usually one connecting towns and cities
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair (The Eagles - Hotel California)
Pronunciation examples
UK: I drove backwards all the way down the highway.
US: I was on a dark desert highway, with the cool wind in my hair.
Examples
- "I can't wait to get this baby on the freeway!"
- "Overshooting the target by 500 feet, Mr. Marron finally came to a stop on the southbound lane of highway 101."
- "Head out on the highway"
- "Before we get to today's headlines, let's go to our traffic correspondent Ray Upton, who'll tell us all about a developing situation on the Los Angeles freeways."
- "There was a horrible traffic jam on highway 101 this morning."
- "Philip : Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long!"
- "On highway 80, eastbound traffic is backed up all the way to the Bay Bridge, so if you're headed across the bay this morning, you're out of luck."
- "On the Gymglish highway"
- "Trey : Yes, highway 101 can be quite congested at this time of day."
- "Is there any way to avoid the freeways this morning?"
- "Northbound traffic on highway one isn't much better: An accident at the Embarcadero exit has traffic completely backed up."
- "Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long."
- "Highway to the danger zone!"
Exercise 1
All roads lead to somewhere in Italy.
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a
A small road through the woods or a forest is a
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a
A small road through the woods or a forest is a
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a
All roads lead to somewhere in Italy.
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a highway 1
A small road through the woods or a forest is a path 2
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a street 3
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a highway 1
A small road through the woods or a forest is a path 2
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a street 3
1 highway: This is the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a main public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
1 path: This is not the best choice. A "path" is a term generally given to a small road, often unpaved and undeveloped roads which can be found in the countryside or in parks.
1 street: This is not the best choice. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas and not in between cities!
2 path: This is the best choice. "Paths" are generally formed by people or animals repeatedly walking exactly the same route. Note that paths and trails don't appear in metropolitan or urban areas, but can be found in parks, forests and mountains, etc.
2 street: This is not the best choice. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas and not in between cities!
2 highway: This is not the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a major public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
3 street: This is the best choice here. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas.
3 highway: This is not the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a major public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
3 path: This is not the best choice. "Paths" are generally formed by people or animals repeatedly walking exactly the same route. Note that paths and trails don't appear in metropolitan or urban areas, but can be found in parks, forests and mountains, etc.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with road vocabulary terms. Not all terms are used, and none are used more than once.
high street | freeway | avenue | main street | motorway | road
In the US, a major route designed for high speed traffic is called a/an "". In the UK this is called a/an "".
In the US, the principal route of a town is called a/an "". In the UK this is called a/an "".
high street | freeway | avenue | main street | motorway | road
In the US, a major route designed for high speed traffic is called a/an "". In the UK this is called a/an "".
In the US, the principal route of a town is called a/an "". In the UK this is called a/an "".
Fill in the blanks with road vocabulary terms. Not all terms are used, and none are used more than once.
high street | freeway | avenue | main street | motorway | road
In the US, a major route designed for high speed traffic is called a/an "freeway 1". In the UK this is called a/an "motorway 2".
In the US, the principal route of a town is called a/an "main street 3". In the UK this is called a/an "high street 4".
high street | freeway | avenue | main street | motorway | road
In the US, a major route designed for high speed traffic is called a/an "freeway 1". In the UK this is called a/an "motorway 2".
In the US, the principal route of a town is called a/an "main street 3". In the UK this is called a/an "high street 4".
1 freeway: A "freeway" is an express road for high-speed traffic. It is the US equivalent of a "motorway" (term used in the UK). Philip says that he wants to "hit the freeway", an informal expression meaning he wants to reach the freeway. It shares a similar meaning with the terms "highway" or "interstate".
2 motorway: A "motorway" is a British English term that describes a route designed for high-speed traffic. Its equivalent in the US is a "highway" or "freeway".
3 main street: A "main street" refers to the principal road in a town, often where stores and commerce are located. This term is commonly used in the United States, Canada, and Ireland.
4 high street: The term "high street" is used in most parts of Britain to refer to the principal route of a town. It is usually where shops and businesses are located. This is the British equivalent of the American term, "main street".
Exercise 3
Fill in the blank below with a term which was used in the article.
This term describes the surface (of an airport) where planes take off and land. "The airport's is only 100 metres long, so I don't think that your Boring 747 will be able to land."
This term describes the surface (of an airport) where planes take off and land. "The airport's is only 100 metres long, so I don't think that your Boring 747 will be able to land."
Fill in the blank below with a term which was used in the article.
This term describes the surface (of an airport) where planes take off and land. "The airport's runway is only 100 metres long, so I don't think that your Boring 747 will be able to land."
This term describes the surface (of an airport) where planes take off and land. "The airport's runway is only 100 metres long, so I don't think that your Boring 747 will be able to land."
runway: A "runway" is a surface or strip of land where aircraft take off and land. According to the article, the "airplane overshoots Palo Alto runway", meaning that the aircraft passes over or fails to land on the airport's landing surface.
Exercise 4
All roads lead to somewhere in Italy.
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a
A small road through the woods or a forest is a
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a
A small road through the woods or a forest is a
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a
All roads lead to somewhere in Italy.
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a highway 1
A small road through the woods or a forest is a path 2
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a street 3
Match the descriptions of each road below with the best term: highway, path or street. Each term is used only once.
A major road between cities is a highway 1
A small road through the woods or a forest is a path 2
A road, big or small, through a city or town is a street 3
1 highway: This is the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a main public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
1 path: This is not the best choice. A "path" is a term generally given to a small road, often unpaved and undeveloped roads which can be found in the countryside or in parks.
1 street: This is not the best choice. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas and not in between cities!
2 path: This is the best choice. "Paths" are generally formed by people or animals repeatedly walking exactly the same route. Note that paths and trails don't appear in metropolitan or urban areas, but can be found in parks, forests and mountains, etc.
2 street: This is not the best choice. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas and not in between cities!
2 highway: This is not the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a major public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
3 street: This is the best choice here. A "street" generally refers to a paved road (made of concrete), usually found in metropolitan areas.
3 highway: This is not the best choice. A "highway" (US) or "motorway" (UK) is a major public road, usually one connecting towns and cities.
3 path: This is not the best choice. "Paths" are generally formed by people or animals repeatedly walking exactly the same route. Note that paths and trails don't appear in metropolitan or urban areas, but can be found in parks, forests and mountains, etc.
Still unsure of the best way to use 'Highway'? Improve your English thanks to our online English lessons. We offer a free test as well as a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Test your English with Gymglish today and get a free level assessment
Absolutely free - no strings attached.
