gangway

noun

gang·​way ˈgaŋ-ˌwā 

1

: passageway

especially : a temporary way of planks

2

a

: either of the sides of the upper deck of a ship

b

: the opening by which a ship is boarded

c

: gangplank

3

British : aisle

4

a

: a cross aisle dividing the front benches from the backbenches in the British House of Commons

b

: an aisle in the British House of Commons that separates government and opposition benches

5

: a clear passage through a crowd

—often used as an interjection

Examples of gangway in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Seven people are dead and half a dozen others were critically injured after a gangway that's part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island on Saturday. —Joe Kottke, NBC News, 20 Oct. 2024

His walk-up, on the fourth floor, became a two-bedroom apartment with the feel of a duplex, thanks to a unique addition: a kind of crow’s nest, capped with a skylight and flanked with gangways that looked over the living area. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 8 Aug. 2024

In the meantime, a metal gangway is being erected over the empty fountain for tourists to get a close view of the fountain’s sculpture Oceanus, the Titan God of Earth, depicted with galloping horses. —Barbie Latza Nadeau and Antonia Mortensen, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024

Sapelo Island's Gullah Geechee residents are feeling a wave of emotions a week after a gangway collapse during a community celebration left seven people dead. —Axios Atlanta, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "raised walkway on a ship," apparently from gang entry 1, in northern and Scots sense "passage" + way entry 1

Note: There is no continuity between this usage, first attested in 1688, and Old English gangweg, attested once.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gangway

noun

gang·​way ˈgaŋ-ˌwā 

1

: a passage into, through, or out of an enclosed place

2

: gangplank

3

: a clear passage through a crowd

—often used as an interjection

Gangway! Coming through!