(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a long piece of hard ground which is built between two places so that people can drive or ride easily from one place to the other.
There was very little traffic on the ~s...
We just go straight up the Bristol Road...
Buses carry 30 per cent of those travelling by ~...
...~ accidents...
N-COUNT: oft in names, also by N
2.
The ~ to a particular result is the means of achieving it or the process of achieving it.
We are bound to see some ups and downs along the ~ to recovery.
N-COUNT: usu sing, N to n
3.
If you hit the ~, you set out on a journey. (INFORMAL)
I was relieved to get back in the car and hit the ~ again.
PHRASE: V inflects
4.
If you are on the ~, you are going on a long journey or a series of journeys by ~.
He hoped to get a new truck and go back on the ~.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
5.
If you say that someone is on the ~ to something, you mean that they are likely to achieve it.
The government took another step on the ~ to political reform.
PHRASE: usu PHR after v, PHR to n
6.
the end of the ~: see end