subway

[suhb-wey]

noun

1. especially British, tube, underground. an underground electric railroad, usually in a large city.

2. Chiefly British.,  a short tunnel or underground passageway for pedestrians, automobiles, etc.; underpass.

verb (used without object)

1. to be transported by a subway.

   We subwayed uptown.

subway

/ ˈsʌbˌweɪ /

noun

1. an underground passage or tunnel enabling pedestrians to cross a road, railway, etc

2. an underground passage or tunnel for traffic, electric power supplies, etc

3. an underground railway

Word History and Origins

Origin of subway¹

First recorded in 1820–30; sub- + way ¹

Example Sentences

There are multiple road diversions and subway line closures, which have effectively paralysed transport into and out of the city centre.

From BBC

He describes a scene in “Dark Wolf” on a subway where Ben encounters an operative who has just killed one of Ben’s teammates.

From Los Angeles Times

On a blistering morning earlier this week, an unusually large crowd had gathered at Imjingang Station - the last stop on Seoul's metropolitan subway line that inches the closest to North Korea.

From BBC

The public address announcements at the Spring Street subway station — located near Disney’s downtown Manhattan headquarters — will be delivered by ESPN’s voluble $20-million-a-year man Stephen A. Smith, the co-host of “First Take.”

From Los Angeles Times

It's hard to miss the evidence: huge, bright ads of chilli-laced dishes and, sometimes, Chinese idioms, in malls, buses and subway stations.

From BBC

Related Words

• metro 
• underground