US /ˈfɛɹweɪ/ UK /ˈfɛəweɪ/
noun Freq #38239

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    golf: the closely mown strip between the tee and the putting green

    Her drive landed in the center of the fairway.

  2. 2
    noun

    a navigable channel or customary course for vessels through shallow or restricted water

    The pilot kept the ship inside the marked fairway.

  3. 3
    noun

    a clear, unobstructed route or passage

    The workers left a broad fairway through the crowded studio.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · golf: the closely mown... short grass
2 noun · a navigable channel or... shipping channelnavigable channel
3 noun · a clear, unobstructed route... clear passageopen route
Word family
Related forms golf coursechannelpassage

Etymology

A compound of fair + way, with fair meaning clear, open, or favorable. The nautical sense named a safe navigable course; golf later applied the word to the clear strip leading toward the green, and broader figurative uses denote an unobstructed passage.

Topics

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