right-of-way
noun
plural rights-of-way also right-of-ways
1
: a legal right of passage over another person's ground
2
a
: the area over which a right-of-way exists
b
: the strip of land over which is built a public road
c
: the land occupied by a railroad especially for its main line
d
: the land used by a public utility (as for a transmission line)
3
a
: a precedence in passing accorded to one vehicle over another by custom, decision, or statute
b
: the right of traffic to take precedence
c
: the right to take precedence over others
gave the bill the right-of-way in the Senate
Examples of right-of-way in a Sentence
the bill for emergency aid was immediately granted right-of-way
Recent Examples on the Web
The agreement calls for cost-sharing on some right-of-way work.
—
Amy Wilde, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Zoom in: Harris County grand jurors have twice declined to press charges of criminally negligent homicide against drivers accused by police of failing to yield right-of-way and killing someone in a crosswalk since the Lisa Torry Smith Act took effect in September 2021, according to an Axios review.
—Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Two decades later, the U.S. government gave the Southern Pacific Railway a right-of-way to build its railroad straight through the Coachella Valley and Cahuilla territory, piggybacking off early stagecoach routes.
—Michael Albertus, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025
Trees or limbs that fall onto a shoulder, sidewalk or public right-of-way should be reported by calling 311 or using the CLT+ mobile app.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for right-of-way 
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Amy Wilde, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Zoom in: Harris County grand jurors have twice declined to press charges of criminally negligent homicide against drivers accused by police of failing to yield right-of-way and killing someone in a crosswalk since the Lisa Torry Smith Act took effect in September 2021, according to an Axios review.
—Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Two decades later, the U.S. government gave the Southern Pacific Railway a right-of-way to build its railroad straight through the Coachella Valley and Cahuilla territory, piggybacking off early stagecoach routes.
—Michael Albertus, TIME, 15 Jan. 2025
Trees or limbs that fall onto a shoulder, sidewalk or public right-of-way should be reported by calling 311 or using the CLT+ mobile app.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for right-of-way
Dictionary Entries Near right-of-way
Cite this Entry
“Right-of-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right-of-way. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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