What does lane mean?
A lane is a narrow route, path, or passageway. It may be a country road between hedges, a passage between buildings, or a marked strip on a busy road where traffic, cyclists, or turning vehicles travel. In athletics and other competitive settings, a lane is one of the parallel sections of a track from which participants begin or race. The word is useful because it describes both a physical space and a distinct route within a larger system. It can also appear figuratively in expressions suggesting an alternative direction or way of living, though that use is generally informal. Lane is equally familiar in British and American English, with differences mainly in the kinds of roads described rather than in the word's core meaning.
nounA lane is a narrow road, path, or passageway, especially one bounded by hedges, walls, or other barriers. On a road or track, it may also refer to one of several parallel strips reserved for traffic or competitors.
- A narrow road, path, or passageway, especially one bounded or separated by hedges, walls, vehicles, or other obstacles.
- A marked strip of a road used by a particular kind of traffic, such as cars, buses, bicycles, or turning vehicles.
- A marked strip of a track or course used by a competitor in a race.
"She drove carefully down the empty lane beside the warehouse."
"The bus moved into the left-hand lane as the traffic began to slow."
"Each runner was assigned a lane for the final heat."
The plural is usually formed by adding -s and is used for multiple routes, strips, or passages.
"The highway has four lanes in each direction."
The word once meant a road or path; today, a lane can be both a narrow route and one of several routes within a larger road.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lane come from?
The word descends from Old English lāne, meaning a road or path, and continued in Middle English as lane or lan. It belongs to a Germanic word family with related forms in languages such as Old Norse and Dutch. Its modern traffic sense developed naturally from the older idea of a narrow route or strip along which vehicles travel.
Related word forms
How lane is actually used
The word is neutral in register and common in both British and American English. Figurative uses, such as 'a different lane' for an alternative approach or area of life, are informal and often imply stepping away from a conventional course.
Easily confused with lane
A lane is a narrow route or passageway, while lain is the past participle of the verb lie, as in 'the cat has lain there'.