From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlanelane /leɪn/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable] 1 ROAD/PATHa narrow road in the countryside → path a quiet country lane2 a road in a city, often used in road names the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane a network of alleys and back lanes (=narrow unimportant roads, often behind a row of houses)3 TTRone of the two or three parallel areas on a road which are divided by painted lines to keep traffic apart That idiot changed lanes without signalling.the inside/middle/outside lane Use the outside lane for overtaking only.the fast/slow lane Cars in the fast lane were travelling at over 80 miles an hour.three-lane motorway/highway/road → bus lane, cycle lane4 DSone of the narrow parallel areas marked for each competitor in a running or swimming race5 TTWTTAa line or course along which ships or aircraft regularly travel between ports or airports busy shipping lanes → life in the fast lane at fast lane(1), → walk/trip down memory lane at memory(7)
Examples from the Corpus
lane• That idiot changed lanes without signaling.• We rode our bicycles along pretty country lanes.• The Russian swimmer in lane 6 is in the lead.• The last stretch of road is a narrow lane bordered by trees.• busy shipping lanescountry lane• The abbey site is approached through a gate in a country lane and along a grassy track.• A far better alternative was to walk the back roads and country lanes.• A course that mixes open pasture, bridleways, forest tracks and country lanes undeniably favours the horse.• Grip and balance are remarkable for such a heavy car but this isn't one to hustle down country lanes.• Fancy taking in the quaint country lanes of Hampshire?• Julia smiled with delight. she was enjoying her walk down the quiet country lane towards the riverbank.• The country lanes are feet deep in snow.back lanes• Wolfenden had come and gone, but persecution was still abroad in the streets and back lanes of Tyneside.• Alas, we always had to return to our cobbled back lanes.• Petitions for lighting in the back lanes of the Denes area and in Great Stainton were handed in.• The back lanes in the North Road area have been atrocious, people were dumping their rubbish in them.the inside/middle/outside lane• Huge jams built up behind the 74-year-old pensioner as he crawled for five miles along the inside lane of the dual-carriageway A1.• The repairs are being carried out to the bridge at Knayton and the inside lanes of both carriageways are closed.• I was given the inside lane and I was furious and protested.• When they got out they saw a Vauxhall Astra, its front badly damaged, directly behind in the inside lane.• Voice over On the M40, our police driver struggles to keep up with a car in the outside lane.• A single-decker yellow-and-black bus was travelling fast in the inside lane, its headlights dipped and no traffic immediately in front of it.• But this time I was prepared, hiding in the inside lane.• The Yugo finally skidded to a halt upside down and straddling the middle lane.shipping lanes• The fires caused widespread smogs, limiting visibility and forcing the closure of airports and shipping lanes.• Specific sites away from shipping lanes, fishing grounds, submarine cables and so on are isolated in a way difficult to achieve on land.• The zone was reduced to 12 miles after it was discovered that a 50-mile zone would interfere with international shipping lanes.• It confined transoceanic vessels to a few narrow shipping lanes that promised safe passage.• By 6 p. m., we were out of the shipping lanes.• The icebergs have a long journey south to the shipping lanes.• Battles over access to shipping lanes and trade routes are commonplace, and piracy returns in modern trappings.Origin lane Old English lanu 