runway

UK: /ˈrʌnweɪ/ US: /ˈrʌnˌweɪ/ ,(run′wā′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

run•way /ˈrʌnˌweɪ/   n. [countable]

1. a way along which something runs.
2. Aeronautics a strip on which planes land and take off.
3. a ramp in a theater, extending from the stage into the orchestra pit or the aisles.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

run•way  (run′wā′), n. 

1. a way along which something runs.
2. Aeronautics a paved or cleared strip on which planes land and take off.
3. Transport a similar strip on which cars, trucks, or the like may park, load, or enter the stream of traffic.
4. Animal Husbandry the beaten track or habitual path of deer or other wild animals.
5. a fairly large enclosure in which domestic animals may range about:
   a runway for dogs.
6. the bed of a stream.
7. Sport [Bowling.] approach (def. 16b).
8. a narrow platform or ramp extending from a stage into the orchestra pit or into an aisle, as in a theater.

• run + way¹ 1825–35, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

runway / ˈrʌnˌweɪ/ noun

1. a hard level roadway or other surface from which aircraft take off and on which they land
2. a chute for sliding logs down
3. a narrow ramp extending from the stage into the audience in a theatre, nightclub, etc, esp as used by models in a fashion show