driveway
Noun: A private road that provides access from a public street or road to a house, garage, or other building on a property. It is typically a short, paved or graveled path for vehicles.
A "driveway" is used to describe the private vehicular access path to a residence or building. It is where vehicles are parked, loaded, or unloaded, and it connects the property to the main road. - We have a long, winding driveway that leads to our house. - Please don't block the driveway; I need to get my car out. - The delivery truck pulled into the driveway to drop off the packages.
- "To park in the driveway": This is a common collocation meaning to leave a vehicle on the private access road, as opposed to on the street or in a garage.
- All the guests parked in the driveway and on the lawn.
- "Driveway moment": An idiomatic expression (often used in radio broadcasting) describing when a listener is so engaged by a program that they remain sitting in their car in the driveway to hear the end of it.
- That podcast was so compelling it created a real driveway moment for me.
- Drive (noun): Can be used similarly in some contexts, especially in British English (e.g., "a gravel drive"). However, "drive" can also refer to a wider, more general road or a public thoroughfare in other contexts.
- Private road: A more formal term that can have a similar meaning but may imply a longer road shared by multiple properties.
- Access road: A general term for any road that provides access to a specific area or property.
- Private road
- Approach (to a house)
- Entranceway (specifically for vehicles)
- Circular driveway / Driveway turnaround: A driveway configured in a loop or circle, allowing cars to drive in and exit without reversing.
- The mansion featured a grand circular driveway in front of the entrance.
- Shared driveway: A driveway used by two or more separate properties for access.
- We have a shared driveway with our neighbors, so we must coordinate on snow removal.
The term is primarily used in American English. In British English, "drive" is more commonly used for the same concept (e.g., "He parked on the drive"). The compound word "driveway" explicitly combines "drive" (in the sense of operating a vehicle) and "way" (a path or route).
- a road leading up to a private house
- they parked in the driveway