motorway

Everyday

A motorway is a wide, fast road with several lanes in each direction, made for long journeys by car and lorry. (UK, Ireland, NZ; US: freeway or highway; Australia: freeway or motorway.) tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life families drive on motorways for long trips and stop at service stations. In safety lessons, people must never walk, cycle or play on a motorway; if a car breaks down, passengers get out on the side away from traffic and wait behind the barrier. In maths, motorway speed limits (70 mph in the UK) give problems about speed, distance and time. Phrases: «on the motorway», «motorway services», «motorway junction», «hard shoulder».

Examples

• We drove down the motorway to the seaside. tree →
• Let's stop at the motorway services for a break. tree →
• Bikes are not allowed on the motorway. tree →
• The motorway was jammed with traffic. tree →
• Take the next junction off the motorway. tree →
• At 60 miles per hour, it takes two hours to drive 120 miles on the motorway. tree →
• When the car broke down, we waited behind the barrier. tree →
• The motorway has three lanes each way. tree →

Note

Countable, one word: motor + way. Different names: UK/Ireland/NZ «motorway», US «freeway» or «interstate», Canada «highway», Australia «freeway» or «motorway». Maths: distance = speed × time, so 70 mph for 2 hours = 140 miles.