highway
gb/hˈaɪwˌeɪ/ us/hˈaɪwˌeɪ/
A2
English
~ 3300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Main road for fast travel
A big road for cars that goes between towns or cities.
Usage pattern:
to drive on [a/the] highway
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'highway' with 'street' or 'road'; 'highway' usually refers to a major route between cities, not small local roads.
Synonyms
freeway (Used mainly in American English for a controlled-access highway with no intersections.)
|
expressway (Similar in meaning but often used for urban high-speed roads.)
Antonyms
local road (A smaller road serving local traffic rather than long-distance travel.)
Collocations
highway traffic
|highway patrol
|highway exit
|build a highway
|highway construction
Themes
transportation
|infrastructure
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We took the highway to get to the city faster.
- The accident blocked both lanes of the highway.
- Highway patrol stopped the speeding driver.
- They are building a new highway between the two towns.
- The highway was closed due to heavy snow.
Learner examples
- The car is on the highway.
- We drive on the highway to go to the city.
- The highway is very busy today.
- The police are on the highway.
- They build a new highway near my house.
Noun
B2
relation
2
Direct route to success or result
A certain and easy way to get what you want.
Usage pattern:
[something] is the highway to [goal/result]
Common mistake:
Learners may take this figurative use literally, thinking it refers to an actual road.
Synonyms
fast track (Informal term for a quick and direct route to achievement.)
Antonyms
long way around (An indirect and slower method of achieving something.)
Collocations
highway to success
|highway to failure
Themes
metaphor
|success
|business
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Some say education is the highway to success.
- Ignoring safety rules is the highway to disaster.
- For him, hard work was the highway to his career goals.
Learner examples
- School is the highway to success.
- Not sleeping is the highway to bad health.
- Saving money is the highway to buying a house.
Grammar
Dictionary form
highway
IPA
GB/hˈaɪwˌeɪ/
US/hˈaɪwˌeɪ/
Syllables & stress
high - way (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (high)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: highway
- Plural: highways
Word family
Forms
highways
noun
Related words
Expressions
highway robbery
1/hˈaɪwˌeɪ ɹˈɑbɚi/
idiom
informal
Extremely high price
Something that costs much more money than it should.
Examples
- $10 for a cup of coffee? That's highway robbery!
- The rent increase feels like highway robbery.
my way or the highway
1/mˈaɪ wˈeɪ ˈɔɹ ðə hˈaɪwˌeɪ/
idiom
informal
Accept terms or leave
You must do what I say or go away.
Examples
- It's my way or the highway when it comes to safety rules here.
- The boss has a 'my way or the highway' attitude.