road
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: note: without the toe–tow merger
enpr: rōd
note: Indic
ipa: /ɾoːɖ/
ipa: /rod/
ipa: /ɹod/
note: UK, toe–tow merger
ipa: /ɹəʊd/
rhymes: -əʊd
note: US, toe–tow merger
ipa: /ɹoʊd/
homophone: Rhode
homophone: rode
homophone: (toe–tow merger) rowed
Forms: form: roads
form: rade
Etymology: From Middle English rode, rade (“ride, journey”), from Old English rād (“riding, hostile incursion”), from Proto-West Germanic *raidu, from Proto-Germanic *raidō (“a ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- (“to ride”). Doublet of raid, acquired from Scots. Cognates include West Frisian reed (paved trail/road, driveway).
The current primary meaning of "street, way for traveling" originated relatively late — Shakespeare seemed to expect his audiences to find it unfamiliar — and probably arose through reinterpretation of roadway (“a way for riding on”) as saying way twice, in other words as a tautological compound.
Senses: examples: text: In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
ref: 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266:
text: I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for.
ref: 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
text: And the road doesn't end / It's a long, long road and we follow it again and again / And the road don't pretend
ref: 2018, Bill Wurtz, “Long Long Long Journey”:
glosses: A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
examples: text: We travelled to the seaside by road.
glosses: Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle.
examples: text: He stirred up his hair with his sprightliest expression, glanced at the little figure again, said ‘Good evening, ma ‘am; don’t come down, Mrs Affery, I know the road to the door,’ and steamed out.
ref: 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC:
text: Hetty and Mrs. Piper watched them with a lynx-eyed understanding and before the ancient was well upon his road his way was blocked by Hetty.
ref: 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 131:
glosses: A physical way or route.
examples: text: the road to happiness; the road to success.
text: Where, then, is the road to peace?
ref: 1964, Ronald Reagan, A Time for Choosing:
text: Hodgson may actually feel England could have scored even more but this was the perfect first step on the road to Rio in 2014 and the ideal platform for the second qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.
ref: 2012 September 7, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: A path chosen, as in life or career.
glosses: An underground tunnel in a mine.
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A railroad.
examples: text: The new depot, on which work started in May, 1956, has three reception roads leading to 13 sidings capable of taking 25 trains, a 450 ft.-long car examination shed with nine roads, a lifting shop with two roads and three permanent way sidings.
ref: 1959 November, “L.T. and E.R. developments in East London”, in Trains Illustrated, page 527:
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A single railroad track (railway track).
glosses: The act of riding on horseback.
glosses: A hostile ride against a particular area; a raid.
examples: text: Antonio: Sweet lady, you have given me life and living; / For here I read for certain that my ships / Are safely come to road.
ref: c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
text: There delivering their fraught, they went to Scandaroone; rather to view what ships was in the Roade, than any thing else […].
ref: 1630, John Smith, True Travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 38:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor; a roadstead.
examples: text: At last, with easy roads, he came to Leicester; / Lodg'd in the abbey, where the reverend abbot, / With all his convent, honourably receiv'd him; […]
ref: 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
glosses: A journey, or stage of a journey.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A hard, flat pitch, typically favourable for batters.
Synonyms: word: frog
word: frog and toad
word: marg
word: road
word: street
Hypernyms: word: infrastructure
word: way
Hyponyms: word: access road
word: alley
word: alleyway
word: autobahn
word: avenue
word: back road
word: beaten track
word: beaten path
word: blacktop
word: boulevard
word: bridle path
word: bridle road
word: bridle track
word: bypass
word: byroad
word: byway
word: carriageway
word: causeway
word: corduroy road
word: corniche
word: crescent
word: crossroad
word: cul-de-sac
word: dirt road
word: dirt track
word: driveway
word: dual carriageway
word: expressway
word: flyover
word: freeway
word: high road
word: high street
word: highway
word: horse road
word: interstate
word: lane
word: layby
word: main drag
word: mews
word: motorway
word: one-way street
word: pass
word: parade
word: slip road
word: slipway
word: speedway
word: thoroughfare
word: toll road
word: track
word: turnpike
word: ring road
word: roadway
word: viaduct
Meronyms: word: asphalt
word: asphalt concrete
word: chipseal
word: cobble
word: concrete
word: flags
word: flagstone
word: gravel
word: tarmac
word: tarmacadam
word: ballast
word: camber
word: cant
word: grade
word: roadbed
word: slope
Derived terms: 2+1 road
2-1 road
Abu Road
access road
all roads lead to Mecca
all roads lead to Rome
all roads lead to Sydney
an old dog for a hard road
antiroad
any road
any road up
A road
A-road
arterial road
asphalt road
back road
Basque Roads
Berkeley Road
bikeroad
B road
Builth Road
bump in the road
bump on the road
Burma Road
burn up the road
byroad
cart road
cartroad
Cemmaes Road
Clarbeston Road
collector road
come down the road
concession road
corduroy road
corpse road
country road
C road
crossroad
cross road
crossroads
dirt road
distributor road
down the road
driveway doesn't go all the way to the road
droveroad
drove road
drover's road
drovers' road
dyke road
end of the road
E-road
escape road
express road
fireroad
flavor of the road
fork in the road
frontage road
get the show on the road
get this show on the road
go down that road
go down the road
Grampound Road
granger road
gravel road
gravel road cop
Great North Road
Great Roads
green road
grid road
Hampton Roads
Harling Road
haul road
Heads of the Valleys Road
highroad
high road
his driveway doesn't go all the way to the road
hit the road
hold the road
ice road
inroad
interroad
iron road
it's a long road that has no turning
jinny road
keep the show on the road
kick the can down the road
knight of the road
Lahaina Roads
let's get this circus on the road
long road to hoe
low road
Mackinnon Road
main road
make the road shorter
middle of the road
middle-of-the-road
middle-road
middle-roader
miles of bad road
Milwaukee Road
Morchard Road
nanoroad
narrow road
national road
New Roads
Nickel Plate Road
nonroad
no through road
off-road bike
offroad
off-road
Old Kent Road
one for the road
onroad
on-road
on the road
open-road
open road
over-the-road
pave the road to hell
pay-per-use road
Persian Royal Road
plank road
postroad
post-road
priority road
railroad
rd
rd.
Rd
Rd.
ridge road
ring road
roadability
roadable
road accident
road agent
road-agent
road allowance
road apple
roadbase
roadbed
road bicycle
road bike
road block
roadblock
roadbook
road bowling
road bridge
roadbridge
roadbuilder
roadbuilding
road burn
roadburner
road captain
road car
road case
road company
road concurrency
roadcraft
roadcrew
road crew
roadcut
road cycling
road dawg
road diet
road dog
roaded
roadeo
roader
road event
road export
road film
roadful
road fund licence
road furniture
road game
road gang
roadgeek
roadgoing
road-goose
road grit
road harrow
road head
road hockey
road hog
road-hog
roadholding
road horse
roadhouse
road hump
road hypnosis
road hypnotism
roadie
roading
road iron
roadish
roadkill
roadkilled
roadless
road less traveled
road less travelled
roadlike
road locomotive
road machine
roadmaker
roadmaking
roadman
road manager
road map
roadmaster
roadmender
roadmending
road metal
road moai
road movie
roadness
roadometer
road picture
road pizza
road pricing
road race
road racing
road rage
road rager
road-raging
road-rail
road-railer
road-rail vehicle
road rash
road reclaimer
road recycler
road roller
roadrunner
road salt
roadscape
road scraper
road service
roadshow
road shower
roadside
road sign
roadslope
road slug
road spikes
roadstead
road steamer
roadster
roadstone
road switcher
road tax
road-test
road test
roadtest
road to Damascus
road train
road transportation
road trip
road user
road warrior
roadwarrior
roadway
roadweed
roadwheel
roadwise
roadwork
road work
roadworker
roadworks
roadworn
roadworthy
rocky road
Roman road
roval
royal road
rule of the road
rules of the road
run out of road
sail-road
service road
shell road
side road
sideroad
Silk Road
skid road
slip road
sliproad
someone's driveway doesn't go all the way to the road
spine road
spirit road
St Columb Road
stroad
superroad
swan's road
take the high road
take to the road
Tapah Road
telpher road
Texel Roads
the grass is always greener on the other side of the road
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
the rubber hits the road
the rubber meets the road
Tobacco Road
tobacco-roader
toll road
tote road
tough road to hoe
track-road
tramroad
trunk road
two-forty on a plank road
unadopted road
unmade road
unsealed road
whale-road
whale's road
what happens on the road stays on the road
where the rubber meets the road
wide place in the road
wide spot in the road
wind road
winter road
yellow-brick road
yellow brick road
Yellow Brick Road
Related terms: word: curb
word: gutter
word: kerb
word: roadside
word: road sign
word: street sign
word: traffic light
word: wayside
word: :Category:Roads