fairway

noun

fair·​way ˈfer-ˌwā How to pronounce fairway (audio)
1
a
: a navigable part of a river, bay, or harbor
b
: an open path or space
2
: the closely mowed part of a golf course between a tee and a green

Examples of fairway in a Sentence

Her shot landed at the left side of the fairway.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To recreate the historic layout, the club established three temporary greens in areas that are normally fairways. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Campbell ended up hitting the block of all blocks off the tee, with his ball entering what is a legitimate jungle guarding the right side of the fairway. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday. — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 Wright, in the group ahead, pulled his approach from a fairway bunker into the seaside vegetation down the left of the 18th, eventually making a double bogey. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fairway

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fairway was in the 15th century

Rhymes for fairway

See All Rhymes for fairway

Browse Nearby Words

fairwater
fairway
fair-weather
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Cite this Entry

“Fairway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fairway. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

fairway

noun
fair·​way ˈfa(ə)r-ˌwā How to pronounce fairway (audio)
ˈfe(ə)r-
: the mowed part of a golf course between a tee and a green

More from Merriam-Webster on fairway

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fairway

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