driveway

Everyday

A short private road or paved area that leads from the street to a house or garage, where cars are parked. tree →

In the lessons

In road safety, driveways are dangerous for small children: drivers reversing out often cannot see a child behind the car. Never play behind or around a car in a driveway, and hold an adult's hand. When walking on the pavement (sidewalk), watch for cars coming out of driveways. In maths, a driveway can be a rectangle in area problems: a driveway 12 m long and 3 m wide has an area of 36 m². Phrases: "park in the driveway", "back out of the driveway", "a long driveway", "shovel the driveway" (in snowy places).

Examples

• Dad parked the car in the driveway. tree →
• Never play in the driveway when cars are moving. tree →
• We chalked pictures on our driveway. tree →
• Watch for cars backing out of driveways. tree →
• We shovelled snow off the driveway. tree →
• The driveway is 15 metres long. tree →
• A tall hedge lines the driveway. tree →
• Our bikes are leaning against the wall by the driveway. tree →

Note

One word: driveway (drive + way). In British English "drive" alone also means a driveway ("park on the drive"). Countable: a driveway, driveways. In maths, area = length × width, perimeter = add all four sides.