motorway

motorway
mo‧tor‧way S2 /ˈməʊtəweɪ $ ˈmoʊtər-/ noun [countable]
British English a very wide road for travelling fast over long distances, especially between cities ⇨ expressway, freeway, highway, interstate
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ drive on/along/down the motorway He was driving along the motorway at a steady sixty miles an hour.
   ▪ get on/off the motorway We got on the motorway near Watford.
   ▪ join the motorway (=get on the motorway) Traffic will be diverted through Hamilton before joining the motorway.
   ▪ leave the motorway A few miles further on they left the motorway.
   ▪ turn off the motorway (=leave the motorway) We forgot to turn off the motorway and ended up in London.
■ adjectives
   ▪ busy The motorway is always busy around Birmingham.
   ▪ a major motorway Two of Britain's major motorways pass through Nottingham.
   ▪ a six-lane/eight-lane etc motorway There are plans to build a new six-lane motorway through the area.
■ motorway + NOUN
   ▪ motorway driving Is motorway driving included in the driving test?
   ▪ motorway traffic the constant noise of motorway traffic
   ▪ a motorway crash Six people were killed in a motorway crash.
   ▪ a motorway pile-up (=when several cars on a motorway crash into each other) a news report of a motorway pile-up on the M25
   ▪ a motorway junction (=a place where you can join or leave the motorway) Their stores are all situated near major motorway junctions.
■ phrases
   ▪ a stretch/section of motorway This stretch of motorway is always very busy.
     

THESAURUS

■ types of road
   ▪ road a hard surface for cars, buses etc to drive on: They're planning to build a new road. | My address is 42, Station Road.
   ▪ street a road in a town, with houses or shops on each side: She lives on our street. | We walked along the streets of the old town. | Oxford Street is one of Europe's busiest shopping areas. | He was stopped by the police, driving the wrong way down a one-way street. | Turn left on Main Street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in American English). | These days the same shops are on every high street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in British English).
   ▪ avenue a road in a town, often with trees on each side: the busy avenue in front of the cathedral | He lived on Park Avenue.
   ▪ boulevard a wide road in a city or town – used especially in street names in the US, France etc. In the UK, streets are usually called avenue rather than boulevard: the world-famous Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
   ▪ lane a narrow road in the country: a winding country lane
   ▪ cul-de-sac a short street which is closed at one end: The house is situated in a quiet cul-de-sac in North Oxford.
   ▪ track especially British English, dirt road American English a narrow road in the country, usually without a hard surface: The farm was down a bumpy track.
   ▪ ring road British English a road that goes around a town: The airport is on the ring road.
   ▪ bypass British English a road that goes past a town, allowing traffic to avoid the centre: The bypass would take heavy traffic out of the old city centre.
   ▪ dual carriageway British English, divided highway American English a road with a barrier or strip of land in the middle that has lines of traffic travelling in each direction: I waited until we were on the dual carriageway before I overtook him.
   ▪ freeway/expressway American English a very wide road in a city or between cities, on which cars can travel very fast without stopping: Take the Hollywood Freeway (101) south, exit at Vine Street and drive east on Franklin Avenue. | Over on the side of the expressway, he saw an enormous sedan, up against a stone wall.
   ▪ motorway British English, highway American English a very wide road for travelling fast over long distances: The speed limit on the motorway is 70 miles an hour. | the Pacific Coast Highway
   ▪ interstate American English a road for fast traffic that goes between states: The accident happened on Interstate 84, about 10 miles east of Hartford.
   ▪ toll road a road that you pay to use: The government is planning to introduce toll roads, in an effort to cut traffic congestion.
   ▪ turnpike American English a large road for fast traffic that you pay to use: He dropped her off at an entrance to the New Jersey Turnpike.