as in precedence
the right to one's attention before other things considered less important
the bill for emergency aid was immediately granted right-of-way
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Recent Examples of right-of-way
The trail, which is located primarily within former Burlington Northern Railway railroad right-of-way, currently has two separate one-mile gaps in Hugo, where the BNSF Railway railroad is still active.
—
Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026
The driver failed to yield the right-of-way.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Front Range trains would use existing tracks and right-of-ways and run at speeds up to 79 miles per hour, competitive with driving along Interstate 25, depending on traffic, according to district documents.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
—Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for right-of-way
Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026
The driver failed to yield the right-of-way.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Front Range trains would use existing tracks and right-of-ways and run at speeds up to 79 miles per hour, competitive with driving along Interstate 25, depending on traffic, according to district documents.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
—Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for right-of-way
Recent Examples of Synonyms for right-of-way
Noun
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Existing trademarks typically take precedence over new bids.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
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Additionally, agencies may prioritize their own KPIs over the brand's overarching goals, leading flagship assets to take precedence, even when other channels drive the majority of spend and outcomes.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hernandez said he was encouraged by recent meetings with Republican members of Congress from his home state, Florida, but worries other priorities will drown out the bill, as has happened in the past.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
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Here are the restaurants in Kansas City and Johnson and Wyandotte counties that received seven or more critical violations or priority/priority foundation violations from March 15 to 28.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Right-of-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/right-of-way. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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