What does motorway mean?
A motorway is a large, multi-lane road intended for fast-moving traffic, with access generally restricted to junctions and occasional emergency crossings. It is distinguished from ordinary roads by its high speed limits, limited access, designed entrances and exits, and separation from pedestrian and local traffic. Motorway is especially prominent in British English and across the Commonwealth, where it is the standard term for a controlled-access highway; freeway is more typical in American English. The word can refer either to one road, as in travelling along the motorway, or to a connected network of roads serving a city, region, or country. Motorways commonly connect major urban centres, ports, airports, and industrial areas, and their surrounding areas often contain motorway service stations, junctions, and other facilities designed specifically for drivers and passengers.
nounA major road designed for fast-moving traffic, typically with multiple lanes and limited access from adjacent roads. In British English, it is the standard term for this kind of highway.
- A major road with multiple lanes, limited access, and high speed limits, intended primarily for long-distance motor traffic.
- A major route, often understood as a network or system of such roads.
"Traffic moved slowly because an accident had blocked both lanes of the motorway."
"We took the motorway to avoid the traffic in the city centre."
"The new motorway is expected to reduce congestion across the region."
The regular plural is formed by adding -s to the end of the word.
"Several motorways link the capital with the coastal region."
The name joins motor, associated with powered vehicles, to way, a route, neatly describing a road built around rapid motor travel.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does motorway come from?
Motorway is a compound formed in English from motor and way. Motor derives from Latin motor, meaning a mover or something that moves, and entered English in the 16th century in connection with machines and mechanisms. The compound motorway developed during the early motor era to name roads built for mechanically powered traffic, and the term became especially associated with the British road-building system of the 1920s.
Related word forms
How motorway is actually used
Motorway is especially common in British English and in countries influenced by British English. In American English, freeway is generally more usual, although motorway is understood and occasionally used. The word can also refer collectively to a road system, as in a regional motorway network.
Easily confused with motorway
Both words denote a high-speed road, but motorway is the standard term in British English and Commonwealth countries, while freeway is more common in American English.