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WAY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
Example:
the true way to success
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
effectuation; implementation (the act of implementing (providing a practical means for accomplishing something); carrying into effect)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
wings (a means of flight or ascent)
voice (a means or agency by which something is expressed or communicated)
tooth (a means of enforcement)
salvation (a means of preserving from harm or unpleasantness)
open sesame (any very successful means of achieving a result)
desperate measure (desperate actions taken as a means to an end)
expedient (a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one)
stepping stone (any means of advancement)
road (a way or means to achieve something)
instrument; tool (the means whereby some act is accomplished)
fast track (a rapid means of achieving a goal)
escape (a means or way of escaping)
dint (interchangeable with 'means' in the expression 'by means of')
Sense 2
Meaning:
A journey or passage
Example:
they are on the way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
journey; journeying (the act of traveling from one place to another)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A course of conduct
Example:
genius usually follows a revolutionary path
Synonyms:
path; way; way of life
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
course; course of action (a mode of action)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
warpath (a course leading to warfare or battle)
hadith; Sunna; Sunnah ((Islam) the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Muhammad and interpretations of the Koran)
straight and narrow; strait and narrow (the way of proper and honest behavior)
primrose path (a life of ease and pleasure)
ambages ((archaic) roundabout or mysterious ways of action)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Any artifact consisting of a road or path affording passage from one place to another
Example:
he said he was looking for the way out
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
artefact; artifact (a man-made object taken as a whole)
Meronyms (parts of "way"):
roadside; wayside (edge of a way or road or path)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
access; approach (a way of entering or leaving)
lane (a narrow way or road)
passage (a way through or along which someone or something may pass)
path (a way especially designed for a particular use)
road; route (an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation)
staircase; stairway (a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps)
watercourse; waterway (a conduit through which water flows)
Holonyms ("way" is a part of...):
transit; transportation; transportation system (a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods)
Sense 5
Meaning:
How something is done or how it happens
Example:
in an abrasive fashion
Synonyms:
fashion; manner; mode; style; way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
artistic style; idiom (the style of a particular artist or school or movement)
drape (the manner in which fabric hangs or falls)
fit (the manner in which something fits)
form (a particular mode in which something is manifested)
life-style; life style; lifestyle; modus vivendi (a manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes)
setup (the way something is organized or arranged)
signature; touch (a distinguishing style)
wise (a way of doing or being)
response (the manner in which an electrical or mechanical device responds to an input signal or a range of input signals)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The property of distance in general
Example:
he went a long ways
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
distance (the property created by the space between two objects or points)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Doing as one pleases or chooses
Example:
if I had my way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
choice; pick; selection (the person or thing chosen or selected)
Sense 8
Meaning:
A general category of things; used in the expression 'in the way of'
Example:
they didn't have much in the way of clothing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
category (a general concept that marks divisions or coordinations in a conceptual scheme)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A line leading to a place or point
Example:
didn't know the way home
Synonyms:
direction; way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
itinerary; path; route (an established line of travel or access)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
tendency; trend (a general direction in which something tends to move)
qibla (the direction of the Kaaba toward which Muslims turn for their daily prayers)
north-south direction (in a direction parallel with lines of longitude)
east-west direction (in a direction parallel with lines of latitude)
course; trend (general line of orientation)
aim; bearing; heading (the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies)
Sense 10
Meaning:
A portion of something divided into shares
Example:
they split the loot three ways
Classified under:
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
part; percentage; portion; share (assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Space for movement
Example:
hardly enough elbow room to turn around
Synonyms:
elbow room; room; way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
position; spatial relation (the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "way"):
seating; seating area; seating room; seats (an area that includes places where several people can sit)
standing room (room for passengers or spectators to stand)
breathing room; breathing space (sufficient room for easy breathing or movement)
clearance; headroom; headway (vertical space available to allow easy passage under something)
houseroom (space for accommodation in a house)
lebensraum; living space (space sought for occupation by a nation whose population is expanding)
parking (space in which vehicles can be parked)
sea room (space for maneuver at sea)
Sense 12
Meaning:
The condition of things generally
Example:
I felt the same way
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("way" is a kind of...):
condition; status (a state at a particular time)
II. (adverb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
To a great degree or by a great distance; very much ('right smart' is regional in the United States)
Example:
the other side of the hill is right smart steeper than the side we are on
Synonyms:
right smart; way
Classified under:
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Context examples:
Bessie invited him to walk into the breakfast-room, and led the way out.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
She roused herself to say, as they struck by order into another path, "Is not this one of the ways to Winthrop?"
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
Professor Challenger: Then I guarantee that I will place in your hands such material as will enable you to find your way.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“To Bristol! Is not that a great way off? But, however, I cannot go with you today, because I am engaged; I expect some friends every moment.”
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
In the same way he accepted that his father could disappear into walls.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
“I'm not afraid in this way,” said little Em'ly.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The girls flew about, trying to make things comfortable, each in her own way.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Can you help me find my way?
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
All our reasoning seems to point that way.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
You know the doctor’s ways, sir, replied Poole, and how he shuts himself up.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
