From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwayway1 /weɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 method [countable]WAY/METHOD a method that you use to do or achieve something There are several different ways we can tackle this problem.way of doing something Evening classes are one way of meeting new people. There’s no way of knowing if the treatment will work.way to do something What’s the best way to learn a language?in the same way/in various ways Make the drink with boiling water in the same way as tea. Animals communicate in various ways.(in) the right/wrong way I think you’re going about this the wrong way.ways and means (=methods of doing something, especially ones that are secret or not yet decided) There are ways and means of raising the money that we need.way out/out of/around One way around the problem (=method of dealing with it) is recycling. There seems to be no way out of the current economic crisis.way into television/publishing/finance etc (=a method of getting involved in a particular activity or type of work) companies eager for a way into business in Europe► see thesaurus at method2 manner [countable]WAY/MANNER the manner or style in which someone does something or in which something happens Look at the way he’s dressed!in a ... way ‘Hello, ’ he said in a friendly way. Maria got up and took a shower in a leisurely way.(in) this/that way I find it easier to work in this way (=like this). Sorry, I didn’t know you felt that way (=had that feeling or opinion). The drugs didn’t seem to affect Anna in the same way.that’s no way to do something (=used to tell someone that they should not be doing something in a particular manner) That’s no way to speak to your father!in more ways than one (=in a number of ways) The changes will benefit the company in more ways than one.in somebody’s (own) way (=in a personal way that other people may not recognize) I’m sure he does love you, in his own way.3 direction/how to go somewhere [countable]TTRWAY/ROUTE a) a road, path, direction etc that you take in order to get to a particular placethe way to/from/out etc Which is the quickest way to the sea from here? There are several ways through the woods.ask/tell/show somebody the way Could you tell me the way to the station? Does anyone know the way from here? I was afraid of losing my way in the dark. Can you find your way back to the car park?the way out (=the door, path etc which you can use to leave a building or area) Which is the way out?the way in (=the door, path etc which you can use to enter a building or area) She looked all around, but she couldn’t seem to find the way in.on somebody’s way (=in the same direction as someone is going) Want a lift? It’s on my way.out of somebody’s way (=not in the same direction as someone is going) I live miles out of your way. b) a particular direction from where you are now Which way is north? Walk this way. A big Mercedes was coming the other way (=from the opposite direction). He left the house, looking carefully both ways.4 part of something that is true [countable] used to say that there is a fact or a feature of something that makes a statement or description truein a/one way In one way you’re right, I suppose.in some/many ways Working at home makes sense, in many ways. Ben is a perfectly normal child in every way. He never got mad at me. He was great in that way.in no way (=used to emphasize that something is not true) This should in no way be seen as a defeat.5 distance/time [singular]DISTANCE a distance or a length of time, especially a long one I was still a long way from home.some way/quite a way (=quite a long distance) She had to park some way from the restaurant.a long way off/away/ahead etc (=far away in distance or in time) A peace settlement now seems a long way off. I don’t want to go all that way and not see him.all the way down/across/through etc (something) (=the full distance or length of something) Did you really swim all the way across? I was awake all through the night.a (long) ways American English That’s quite a ways from here, isn’t it? 6 the space in front of you [countable usually singular] if someone or something is in the way, they are blocking the space in front of you, and you cannot move forwardbe in the way/be in somebody’s way (=be blocking a road, someone’s path etc so that they cannot move forward easily) There was a big truck in the way. Sorry, am I in your way? A policeman yelled at the crowds to get out of the way. The way ahead was blocked.7 → make way (for something/somebody)8 → out of the way9 → on the/your/its way10 → be/get under way11 → make your way12 → push/grope/inch etc your way somewhere13 → give way14 → clear/pave/open/prepare etc the way (for something)15 → a/the way forward16 state/condition [singular] a particular state or condition My family was in a bad way financially. The chicken’s nice and crispy – just the way I like it. It’s worth thinking how you can improve the way things are.somebody was born/made that way (=used to say that someone’s character is not likely to change) He’ll always be mean – he was born that way.17 fact/event [singular] used to refer to something that happens I hate the way you always give in to him.18 behaviour [countable] someone’s typical style of behaving, especially when it seems different or unusualbe (just) somebody’s way Don’t worry if she’s quiet – that’s just her way. Esther quickly changed the subject, as was her way.strange/funny/odd etc ways We all have our funny little ways.change/mend your ways (=stop behaving badly) → see the error of your ways at error(6), → be set in your ways at set3(6)19 development/progress [singular] used in expressions about developing and improving The team has a long way to go (=needs to develop or improve a lot) before it can match that performance. Microwave ovens have come a long way (=have developed or improved a lot) since they first appeared in our kitchens. Jen is now well on the way to recovery (=she has improved and will be well soon).20 → go some way towards doing something21 choices/possibilities [countable] used when talking about two choices someone could make, or two possibilities that could happen I’m not sure which way he’ll decide. The election could go either way (=both results are equally possible). Make your mind up one way or the other.either way (=used to say that something will be the same, whichever of two things happens) Either way, it’s going to be expensive. 22 → within two feet/ten years etc either way23 → (in) one way or another/one way or the other24 → way around/round/up25 → by way of something26 → get in the way of something27 → go out of your way to do something28 → get/have your (own) way29 → go your own way30 → go somebody’s way31 → come somebody’s way32 → in a big/small way33 → by a long way34 → talk/buy etc your way into/past etc something/somebody35 → work/munch/smoke etc your way through something36 → be on the/your way out37 → across/over the way38 → have a way of doing something39 → get into the way of doing something40 → not in any way, shape, or form41 → split something two/three etc ways42 → have a way with somebody/something43 → the way of the world44 → every which way45 → WaySPOKEN PHRASES46 → by the way47 → no way!48 → the way I see it49 → that’s the way50 → that’s (just) the way something/somebody is/that’s (just) the way something goes51 → be with somebody all the way52 → if I had my way53 → have it your (own) way54 → (there are) no two ways about it55 → you can’t have it both ways56 → way to go!57 → (that’s/it’s) always the way!58 → down your/London etc way59 → go all the way (with somebody) → halfway, one-way, right of way, two-way, → that’s the way the cookie crumbles at cookie(3), → cut both ways at cut1(36), → in the family way at family(7), → go the way of all flesh at flesh1(9), → go your separate ways at separate1(4), → know your way around (something) at know1(10), → be laughing all the way to the bank at laugh1(8), → lead the way at lead1(7), → look the other way at look1(9), → out of harm’s way at harm1(6), → parting of the ways at parting1(3), → pay your way at pay1(13), → to put it another way at put(4), → rub somebody up the wrong way at rub1(7), → see which way the wind is blowing at wind1(6), → see your way (clear) to doing something at see1(38), → any way you slice it at slice2, → stand in somebody’s way at stand1(30), → where there’s a will there’s a way at will2(5), → work your way to/through etc something at work1(12)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a method that you use to do or achieve somethingadjectivesthe right wayThat’s not the right way to deal with the problem.the wrong wayThere is a right way and a wrong way to do it.a good wayParent and toddler groups are a good way to meet other mums.the best wayDoing the job is often regarded as the best way of learning the job.a different wayThere are many different ways of borrowing money.a sure wayImproving your diet is the surest way to lower your risk of heart disease.a quick wayWouldn’t just asking him be the quickest way to find out?an easy wayHere’s an easy way to cut up a mango.verbshave a wayDo you have any way of finding out if that is true?find a wayWe must find a way to help them.think of/devise a wayI have to think of a way to make some money.phrasesways and meansWe are discussing ways and means of bringing jobs to our area. THESAURUSa way of doing somethingway something you can do in order to achieve what you want or deal with a problemVisiting a country is a great way to learn a language.a good way to lose weightmethod a way of doing something, especially one that a lot of people know about and useThey still use traditional methods of farming.modern teaching methodsDifferent research methods are used to gather data.approach a general way of dealing with a particular problem or situation, especially a way that has been carefully thought aboutWe need a whole new approach to environmental issues.There will be considerable advantages to adopting this approach.technique a way of doing something for which you need a skill that must be learned and practisedI went to a class to learn relaxation techniques.new surgical techniquestechniques for improving staff performancestrategy a carefully planned way to achieve something difficult or complicated that may take a long timeThey met to discuss the company’s business strategy.the government’s long-term strategy for reducing crimehow to go to a placeway the road, path, direction etc that you must take in order to get to a placeAre you sure this is the right way to the sea?Will you come with me? I don’t know the way.route a way from one place to another that people use regularly or that is shown on a mapThere are two routes we could take but this is the quickest one.the overland trade route between Europe and Chinadirections instructions on how to get to a placeLet’s stop and ask someone for directions.If you follow these directions you’ll have no problem finding the house.short cut a way of getting somewhere that is shorter than the usual wayLet’s take a short cut across the field.Taxi-drivers know all the short cuts.how to get to ... especially spoken used especially when you ask someone to tell you which is the right wayCan you tell me how to get to Grand Central Station?It was getting dark and I wasn’t sure how to get home. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: adjectivesthe quickest wayShe knew the quickest way to the hospital.the right wayAre you sure this is the right way?the wrong wayHe had ended up going the wrong way down a one-way street.verbsask somebody the wayHe asked me the way to the police station.tell somebody the wayCan you tell me the way to the nearest post office, please?show somebody the wayIf you can show me the way, I’ll take you by car.know the wayDo you know the way to Birkleigh?lose your wayHe lost his way in the fog.find your wayI managed to find my way home.
Examples from the Corpus
way• Ottumwa? That's quite a ways from here, isn't it?• Is there any way of controlling the heating in here?• Council officers in Darlington have looked at ways of supporting the campaign.• Losing a job affects different people in different ways.• By phrasing questions in different ways, inconsistencies are exposed without the need for having a detailed knowledge of a particular technique.• I tried every way I could to make the child go to bed, but she refused.• You will find a tiny amount will go a long way.• Now that his marriage has broken down there is no way round this problem.• Women there have abortions again and again because it is the only way they can limit their family size.• The only way to lose weight is to eat less.• I think this is the quickest way into town.• Are you sure we're going the right way? I don't remember seeing that church before.• The government does not believe that this approach is the right way to deal with the problem.• The argument was a terrible way to end a wonderful week.• Jill's office is that way.• The bear went that way - you can see its tracks in the snow.• He walked all the way to Upper Street, near the bus-stops, before he found a free phonebox.• I could tell by the way he looked at me that he was annoyed.• Do you think you can find the way home by yourself?• Are you sure this is the way?• I just love the way she laughs.• On the way home I was thinking about the week.• Is this the way to Grand Central Station?• I'll show you the way we calculate the figures.• It is important to consider which way the house faces, as that determines how much sun it gets.• I don't recognize this part of town - we must have come the wrong way.• I think you're going about this in completely the wrong way.way out/out of/around• She explains why these girls need love, direction, education, a way out of the lures of gang life.• Fortunately, a way out of this apparent paradox exists.• This healthy, realistic fear helps the organization resist the temptation to take the easy way out of a problematic situation.• I could talk my way out of trouble.• M fell all the way out of the first round.• Borrowing money is not the way out of debt.• My point was that they could power their way out of their problems with the latent potential among the workers.• They pushed and squeezed their way out of the jute field.in somebody’s (own) way• Victorine be-came a companion in a way.• However, the vastly differing agendas of the majors and the indies affected questions of artistic control in differing ways.• Of course, everything was done in a way that cost a fortune.• Instead of a gentle immersion in the ways of the Kremlin, Lebed has found himself baptized by fire.• He'd put it in such a way that she couldn't argue.• Emphasize the difficulty of saying anything at all with regard to religion which may not be received by some one in a misleading way.• Even the payment of players was regulated in such a way as to prevent clubs competing in a free market for talent.• A videodisc player can be connected up to a monitor or television set in the same way as a videocassette player.the other way• Or would it be better the other way round?• When you're overtaking, make sure there's nothing coming the other way.• Turn around and face the other way.• But if the means of communication have moved in a more public direction, the images have gone the other way.• This does not happen the other way about.• He was looking the other way, sorting mail.• I waved to her but she didn't see -- she was looking the other way.• They are succeeding by turning big piles into little piles, not the other way around.• Richard, of course, never deferential, never awed, totally fearless, just played the other way flat out!• For decades, that kind of estrange ment worked the other way around.• But sometimes it works the other way round.in no way• The damage is very slight and in no way reduces the value of the painting.• It's too long, too slow and in no way original.• Note that the reviewing activities associated with Personal Interviews are in no way comparable with the procedures of job interviews.• But in no way has Weezer turned into a precision rock machine.• With the values used, the frequency is several kilohertz but is in no way critical for this present purpose.• Jennifer is in no way like the traditional father who just plays with the children.• Gray's comments should in no way be considered official policy.• As interesting as such examples are, of course, they in no way prove that caffeine actually improves mental functioning.• I never suspected them of having spied for long, a feeling which in no way eased my shame.• The electoral framework makes the operation particularly cynical: a pounding of people who in no way deserved it.• This will in no way influence our original decision.a (long) ways• The black boy stepped back a ways.• He was sitting his roan horse on this side of the street but down a ways.• Not close, out a ways, as if giving themselves room to move around in.• We are quite a ways away, probably 500 yards.• The date may seem a ways off, but Chan needs sponsors and participants to sign on now.• We just popped out to get a beer and a burger, down-state a ways.• I even took them from both directions and walked up-stream a ways to see if it looked like this anywhere else.• My husband, John, is out yonder a ways.way ahead• In fact, when it comes to some emotions, men are way ahead of us.• Then again, some major thinkers are way ahead of the curve.• Both men know the only way ahead to avoid a national racial bloodbath is to get together and start talking again.• We invariably ask the custodians of the business to exemplify what they would see as their preferred way ahead.• Here was a historic consensus and a historic clue both of which charted the directions for the way ahead.• We have reached a point where the way ahead seems to have petered out.• The idea was way ahead of its time.somebody was born/made that way• She had been thirty-one years old when he was born, and they had never known why he was born that way.• I suppose I was born that way.change/mend your ways• Are they going to go back and change their ways?• But we think you should give her another chance and see if she can change her ways.• Eventually, of course, the girl changes her ways and they fall in love.• As a result of this report the caretaker was informed that if he did not mend his ways he would be discharged.• Certainly we need to fear a refusal to change our ways.• This simple observation surprised us and made us change our ways of communicating with social workers.• She wrote back in an unusually cheery vein in-tended to demonstrate, I suppose, that she was mending her ways.• I was hoping that perhaps human beings would change their ways after reading the stories of my life with the Houys.well on the way to• The Charity Commission says the new trustees are well on the way to restructuring their management and cutting administrative costs.• He won an Allstar last year and is well on the way to repeating this achievement.• Or if not actually in it, well on the way to it.• She's well on the way to recovery and her brain isn't affected.• The Hodges doctrine, with its limited interpretation of federal power, seemed well on the way to extinction.• Each is, if not yet a separate species, well on the way to an identity of its own.• Mitchell waited until they were well on the way to the processing plant before digging his way out and tumbling clear.• You can also receive an introduction to Web publishing that starts you well on the way to creating your own home page.either way• It is possible to make the argument either way.• His jeering remarks had hidden barbs, and just went to prove how little he cared either way.• The worker should be comfortable either way.• A decision either way on Roe can therefore be perceived as favoring one group or the other...• But this is virtually impossible to establish either way so long as the argument has to depend on reported behaviour.• It seems you can't actually lose either way, doesn't it?• We could simply alternate between the two algorithms and catch the suspect either way.• They were: offences triable only on indictment; offences triable only summarily; and offences triable either way.WayWayTTRused in the names of roads Church Way → waywayway2 ●●○ S3 adverb 1 FARvery farway ahead/behind/out etc The other cyclists were way behind. She lives way out of town.2 LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNTby a large amountway above/below/past etc Her IQ is way above average.way out Your guess was way out (=completely incorrect), he’s actually thirty-eight.way back We first met way back (=a long time ago) in the seventies.way heavier/smarter/bigger etc (=much heavier etc) The tickets were way more expensive than I thought.3 American English informalVERY very I think she’s way cool, man.Examples from the Corpus
way• You're way too smart to be driving a truck.way ahead/behind/out etc• But drive-ins are on the way out.• One man found twenty dollars on the sidewalk on his way out.• The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.• For a long time, the way ahead barred, Pétain found no opening for preaching his gospel.• At night there were no longer any bonfires to be seen, either on the hill or way out on the surrounding plain.• He worked his way out slowly, without disturbing her.• There has to be some way out, some way to get things back the way they were!way heavier/smarter/bigger etc• Oh, way bigger, said the older man with pride.Origin way1 Old English weg 