WAY


Meaning of WAY in English

/ weɪ; NAmE / noun , adverb

■ noun

METHOD / STYLE

1.

[ C ] way (to do sth) | way (of doing sth) a method, style or manner of doing sth :

That's not the right way to hold a pair of scissors.

I'm not happy with this way of working.

I hate the way she always criticizes me.

I told you we should have done it my way !

Infectious diseases can be acquired in several ways.

I generally get what I want one way or another (= by some means) .

( informal , disapproving )

That's no way to speak to your mother!

It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it.

—see also third way

BEHAVIOUR

2.

[ C ] a particular manner or style of behaviour :

They grinned at her in a friendly way .

It was not his way to admit that he had made a mistake.

Don't worry, if she seems quiet— it's just her way .

He was showing off, as is the way with adolescent boys.

3.

ways [ pl. ] the typical way of behaving and living of a particular group of people :

After ten years I'm used to the strange British ways.

ROUTE / ROAD

4.

[ C , usually sing. ] way (from ... ) (to ... ) a route or road that you take in order to reach a place :

the best / quickest / shortest way from A to B

Can you tell me the way to Leicester Square?

to ask sb the way

We went the long way round .

5.

[ C , usually sing. ] the route along which sb/sth is moving; the route that sb/sth would take if there was nothing stopping them / it :

Get out of my way! I'm in a hurry.

Riot police with shields were blocking the demonstrators' way.

We fought our way through the dense vegetation.

Unfortunately they ran into a snowstorm along the way.

—see also right of way

6.

[ C ] a road, path or street for travelling along :

There's a way across the fields.

—see also freeway , highway , motorway , railway , waterway

7.

Way used in the names of streets :

106 Headley Way

DIRECTION

8.

[ C , usually sing. ] which, this, that, etc. ~ a particular direction; in a particular direction :

Which way did they go?

We just missed a car coming the other way .

Look both ways (= look left and right) before crossing the road.

Make sure that sign's the right way up .

Kids were running this way and that (= in all directions) .

They decided to split the money four ways (= between four different people) .

( figurative )

Which way (= for which party) are you going to vote?

—see also each way , one-way , three-way , two-way

FOR ENTERING / LEAVING

9.

[ C , usually sing. ] a means of going into or leaving a place, such as a door or gate :

the way in / out

They escaped out the back way.

—see also companionway

DISTANCE / TIME

10.

[ sing. ] (also NAmE informal ways ) a distance or period of time between two points :

A little way up on the left is the Museum of Modern Art.

September was a long way off .

( figurative )

The area's wine industry still has a way to go to full maturity.

You came all this way to see us?

( NAmE , informal )

We still have a ways to go .

AREA

11.

[ sing. ] ( informal ) an area, a part of a country, etc. :

I think he lives somewhere over London way .

I'll stop by and see you next time I'm down your way .

ASPECT

12.

[ C ] a particular aspect of sth

SYN respect :

I have changed in every way.

It's been quite a day, one way and another (= for several reasons) .

CONDITION / STATE

13.

[ sing. ] a particular condition or state :

The economy's in a bad way .

I don't know how we're going to manage, the way things are .

IDIOMS

- across the way

- all the way

- (that's / it's) always the way

- any way you slice it

- be / be born / be made that way

- be set in your ways

- by the way

- by way of sth

- by way of / in the way of sth

- come your way

- cut both / two ways

- either way | one way or the other

- every which way

- get into / out of the way of (doing) sth

- get in the way of

- get / have your own way

- give way

- give way (to sb/sth)

- give way to sth

- go all the way (with sb)

- go a long / some way towards doing sth

- go out of your way (to do sth)

- go your own way

- go sb's way

- go the way of all flesh

- have it your own way!

- have it / things / everything your own way

- have a way of doing sth

- have a way with sb/sth

- have / want it both ways

- have your (wicked) way with sb

- in a big / small way

- in more ways than one

- in her, his, its, etc. (own) way

- in a way | in one way | in some ways

- in the / sb's way

- in the way of sth

- keep / stay out of sb's way

- look the other way

- lose your way

- make your way (to / towards sth)

- make way (for sb/sth)

- my way or the highway

- (there are) no two ways about it

- (there is) no way

- on your / the / its way

- the other way round

- out of the way

—see also out-of-the-way

- out of your way

- see your way (clear) to doing sth / to do sth

- see which way the wind is blowing

- (not) stand in sb's way

- that's the way the cookie crumbles

- there's more than one way to skin a cat

- to my way of thinking

- under way

- a / the / sb's way of life

- the way of the world

- ways and means

- a way into sth

- the way to sb's heart

- way to go!

- work your way through college, round the world, etc.

- work your way through sth

- work your way up

—more at change verb , claw verb , clear verb , downhill , easy adjective , error , family noun , far adverb , feel verb , find verb , hard adjective , harm noun , head noun , know verb , laugh verb , lie verb , long adjective , mend verb , middle adjective , open verb , ordinary , parting noun , pave , pay verb , pick verb , rub verb , separate adjective , shape noun , show verb , smooth verb , sweet adjective , swing verb , talk verb , well adverb , will noun , wrong adjective

■ adverb

(used with a preposition or an adverb) very far; by a large amount :

She finished the race way ahead of the other runners.

I must be going home; it's way past my bedtime.

The price is way above what we can afford.

They live way out in the suburbs.

This skirt is way (= a lot) too short.

I guessed that there would be a hundred people there, but I was way out (= wrong by a large amount).

IDIOMS

- way back (in ... )

••

WORD ORIGIN

Old English weg , of Germanic origin ; related to Dutch weg and German Weg , from a base meaning move, carry .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.