• right-of-way

rightofway (countable anduncountable,pluralrights of wayorright of ways)

1. (uncountable) The right toproceed first intraffic, on land, on water or in the air. Also in metaphorical senses.
   • 1994, Di Goodman, Ian Brodie,Learning to Sail‎^[1],→ISBN, page86:

     Even when you have theright of way, you must take action to avoid a collision if another boat fails to give way.

2. (countable) A legal right ofpassage over another's land or pathways.
   • 2000, "Countryside and Rights of Way Act (2000) (c.37)" (UK), II.48(4)^[2],

     “restricted byway” means a highway over which the public have restricted byway rights, with or without a right to drive animals of any description along the highway, but no otherrights of way.

4. (countable) A strip of land oralignment whereportions of a roadway,railway,power line, or otherutilities and their associatedstructures andfacilities islocated orpassesacquired througheminent domain orexpropriation.

   Meronym:permanent way

   • 1941, Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration,Los Angeles: A Guide to the City and its Environs‎^[3], page307:

     Phillips granted aright-of-way to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1873.

5. (countable) Land on which a right of way exists.
   • 1970, Diana L. Reische,Problems of Mass Transportation‎^[4],→ISBN, page143:

     New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans a rail line on an unusedright of way of the Long Island Rail Road between JFK and Penn Station to whisk passengers to midtown Manhattan in twenty minutes.

7. (countable) The area modified for passage of a railway; often specifically therailbed andtracks.

   Synonym:permanent way

   • 1948, Howard Rothmann Bowen,Toward Social Economy‎^[5], page71:

     For example, if a railroad is required to connect a mine and a smelter, it is necessary to construct aright of way, to lay tracks, etc.

   • 2006, Jane Bloodworth Rowe, “Ferrell Parkway”, inEchoes from the Poisoned Well: Global Memories of Environmental Injustice‎^[6],→ISBN, page187:

     Mayne, speaking at the 1999 meeting, ranked the trees along theright-of-way as "old growth" or "rare," although she never defined these terms.

8. (fencing,uncountable) Thepriority granted to the first person to properly execute an attack.
   • 2002, Elaine Cheris,Fencing: Steps to Success‎^[7],→ISBN, page63:

     In foil the important thing is to be sure you have theright of way. You gainright of way by starting the attack first or beating the blade last.

9. (Wisconsin) The strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street.

• The plural "rights of way" can be used for all senses. The alternative plural "right of ways" is generally used only when referring to a strip of land or alignment where portions of an infrastructure and their associated structures and facilities are located, and may be regarded as an error.
• In sense 1 the phrase is often used without a preceding article; e.g. to haveright of way.