Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: turnpike road (18-20 centuries), from turnpike 'turning post with sharp points fixed into it, used to control movement past it' (15-18 centuries), from turn + PIKE4

turnpike

 noun
     
Related topics: Roads
turn‧pike [countable]
American EnglishTTR a large road for fast traffic that drivers have to pay to use:
the New Jersey Turnpike
WORD FOCUS: road WORD FOCUS: road
a big road: main road, highway, motorway British English, freeway American English, expressway, turnpike American English, interstate American English, A-road British English
a road in a town: street, avenue, boulevard
a road in the countryside: country road, lane, track
a road you pay to use: toll road
parts of a road: fast lane, slow lane, hard shoulder British English/shoulder American English, central reservation British English/median strip American English, pavement British English/sidewalk American English

➔ See also road
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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