run·way

[ruhn-wey]
noun
1.
a way along which something runs.
2.
a paved or cleared strip on which planes land and take off.
3.
a similar strip on which cars, trucks, or the like may park, load, or enter the stream of traffic.
4.
the beaten track or habitual path of deer or other wild animals.
5.
a fairly large enclosure in which domestic animals may range about: a runway for dogs.
6.
the bed of a stream.
7.
Bowling. approach ( def 16b ).
8.
a narrow platform or ramp extending from a stage into the orchestra pit or into an aisle, as in a theater.

Origin:
1825–35, Americanism; run + way1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To runway
00:10
Runway is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
runway (ˈrʌnˌweɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a hard level roadway or other surface from which aircraft take off and on which they land
2.  an enclosure for domestic animals; run
3.  (US), (Canadian) forestry a chute for sliding logs down
4.  a narrow ramp extending from the stage into the audience in a theatre, nightclub, etc, esp as used by models in a fashion show

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

runway
1833, "customary track of an animal," especially a deer, Amer.Eng., from run (v.) + way. Meaning "artificial sloping track" is attested from 1883; airfield sense is from 1923.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The runway was a round stage, with guests seated on wooden benches in a half
  circle and an orchestra set up opposite them.
As the plane closes in on the runway, the view is one of unbroken forest
  extending to the distant horizon.
Guidance to airports for reducing runway incursions on the airfield.
They do not attempt the six-inch heels they routinely send down the runway.
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