ex·press·way

[ik-spres-wey]
noun
a highway especially planned for high-speed traffic, usually having few if any intersections, limited points of access or exit, and a divider between lanes for traffic moving in opposite directions.
Compare superhighway.


Origin:
1940–45; express + way

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
expressway (ɪkˈsprɛsˌweɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a motorway

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Expressway is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

expressway
c.1938, from express + way.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

expressway

major arterial divided highway that features two or more traffic lanes in each direction, with opposing traffic separated by a median strip; elimination of grade crossings; controlled entries and exits; and advanced designs eliminating steep grades, sharp curves, and other hazards and inconveniences to driving. Frequently expressways have been constructed over completely new routes, passing near but not through large centres of population, on more or less direct lines between desired termini. Their advantages include high speed, greater safety, comfort and convenience for drivers and passengers, and lower vehicle operating costs. Many of these new express highways, especially in the United States, are toll roads, but that is an incidental, not an essential, feature.

Learn more about expressway with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Think about how firemen can put a forest system on the expressway to a supercritical collapse by putting out every fire.
It had a bubble top and it had fins on the back and it drove itself down the expressway.
The super information highway to a super information expressway.
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