1
: a little traveled side road
2
: a secondary or little known aspect or field
meandering more and more in the fascinating byways of learning—
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)Examples of byway in a Sentence
I prefer to take byways to town.
He's traveled the highways and byways of this country.
the byways of the art world
The book chronicles some of the interesting byways of legal history.
Recent Examples on the Web
Play games by the fire Along the Mohawk Trail — one of the country’s first scenic byways, originally used by Native Americans as a trade and travel route — is the Tourists hotel, remodeled from the 1960s Redwood Motel.
—Lauren Matison, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2024
Utah Utah has a ton of scenic byways to choose from, but consider taking the Energy Loop: Huntington and Eccles Canyons National Scenic Byway.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Even on weekdays, roads to scenic aspen byways nearest the Front Range have become nearly as congested as Denver city streets during rush hour.
—Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2024
The state’s breathtaking scenic landscape boasts natural hot springs, the headwaters of seven major rivers, many peaceful lakes and reservoirs, 12 national parks and monuments, 26 scenic and historic byways, and 58 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet.
—Outside Online, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for byway 
Lauren Matison, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2024
Utah Utah has a ton of scenic byways to choose from, but consider taking the Energy Loop: Huntington and Eccles Canyons National Scenic Byway.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Even on weekdays, roads to scenic aspen byways nearest the Front Range have become nearly as congested as Denver city streets during rush hour.
—Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2024
The state’s breathtaking scenic landscape boasts natural hot springs, the headwaters of seven major rivers, many peaceful lakes and reservoirs, 12 national parks and monuments, 26 scenic and historic byways, and 58 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet.
—Outside Online, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for byway
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'byway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Byway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/byway. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
byway
noun
by·way
ˈbī-ˌwā 
: a little-traveled side road
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