French word

autoroute

Pronunciation

IPA/otoʁut/

Meaning

  • feminine nounfreeway

Example

Il y a beaucoup de voitures sur l'autoroute ce week-end.

There are a lot of cars on the freeway this weekend.

Illustration for autoroute (freeway)

More examples

Nous avons pris l'autoroute pour arriver plus vite.

We took the motorway to get there faster.

Core concept

Cars traveling quickly on a broad divided roadway where ramps, rather than ordinary junctions, control access.

Common phrases

  • prendre l'autoroute

    take the motorway

  • sur l'autoroute

    on the motorway

Similar words

route: A regular road connecting towns and villages.
périphérique: A ring road around the center of a city.
péage: The fee paid to use a toll road.
aire de service: A highway facility for resting and refueling.

Definition in French

Grande route à plusieurs voies et à accès contrôlé, conçue pour permettre des déplacements rapides en automobile.

Word origin

Autoroute is a French compound formed from auto-, shortened from automobile, and route, a word inherited from Old French from Latin rupta.

Usage tips

  • The usual verb pattern is prendre l'autoroute, while movement or location is commonly expressed with sur l'autoroute.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word