Толковый словарь английского языка

[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: avenir 'to come up to', from Latin advenire; ⇨ ↑adventure]

1. Avenue used in the names of streets in a town or city:

Fifth Avenue

Shaftesbury Avenue

2. a possible way of achieving something:

The president wants to explore every avenue towards peace in the region.

There are many avenues open to researchers.

3. British English a road or broad path between two rows of trees, especially one leading to a big house:

a tree-lined avenue

• • •

THESAURUS

■ types of road

▪ road a hard surface for cars, buses etc to drive on: They're planning to build a new road. | My address is 42, Station Road.

▪ street a road in a town, with houses or shops on each side: She lives on our street. | We walked along the streets of the old town. | Oxford Street is one of Europe's busiest shopping areas. | He was stopped by the police, driving the wrong way down a one-way street. | Turn left on Main Street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in American English). | These days the same shops are on every high street (=the street in the middle of a town, where most of the shops are – used in British English).

▪ avenue a road in a town, often with trees on each side: the busy avenue in front of the cathedral | He lived on Park Avenue.

▪ boulevard a wide road in a city or town – used especially in street names in the US, France etc. In the UK, streets are usually called avenue rather than boulevard: the world-famous Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

▪ lane a narrow road in the country: a winding country lane

▪ cul-de-sac a short street which is closed at one end: The house is situated in a quiet cul-de-sac in North Oxford.

▪ track especially British English, dirt road American English a narrow road in the country, usually without a hard surface: The farm was down a bumpy track.

▪ ring road British English a road that goes around a town: The airport is on the ring road.

▪ bypass British English a road that goes past a town, allowing traffic to avoid the centre: The bypass would take heavy traffic out of the old city centre.

▪ dual carriageway British English, divided highway American English a road with a barrier or strip of land in the middle that has lines of traffic travelling in each direction: I waited until we were on the dual carriageway before I overtook him.

▪ freeway/expressway American English a very wide road in a city or between cities, on which cars can travel very fast without stopping: Take the Hollywood Freeway (101) south, exit at Vine Street and drive east on Franklin Avenue. | Over on the side of the expressway, he saw an enormous sedan, up against a stone wall.

▪ motorway British English, highway American English a very wide road for travelling fast over long distances: The speed limit on the motorway is 70 miles an hour. | the Pacific Coast Highway

▪ interstate American English a road for fast traffic that goes between states: The accident happened on Interstate 84, about 10 miles east of Hartford.

▪ toll road a road that you pay to use: The government is planning to introduce toll roads, in an effort to cut traffic congestion.

▪ turnpike American English a large road for fast traffic that you pay to use: He dropped her off at an entrance to the New Jersey Turnpike.