subway

Beneath the streets

A subway is an underground railway system for urban transit: I take the subway to work.

In British usage, subway can also mean an underground pedestrian passage.

The word combines the sense of beneath (sub-) with way, emphasizing the route running below street level.

The New York subway runs twenty-four hours a day. (Capitalized Subway is the sandwich chain.)

metro

train

Rail vehicle or instruct

stationFixed stopping point
platformRaised flat structure
turnstileRotating single-passage barrier

passenger · underground · transit · line · route · map · escalator · tunnel · track · express

tunnel

underground

Below ground or countercultural

excavationAct of unearthing
trackPath or monitored route
ventilationCirculation of fresh air

rail · digging · construction · engineering · infrastructure · boring · shaft · concrete · lighting · emergency

Categories

transportationcar, bus, airplane, train, plane
travel termsnonstop, direct, airline, round-trip, bus
vehiclescar, bus, truck, van, bike
S wordssay, see, set, sit, son
public transitbus, train, metro, tram, trolley
rail systemsrailroad, railway, light rail, heavy rail, metro

Opposites

vertical position

subwayelevated rail

Overhead urban railway

elevated train · sky train · monorail · aerial tramway · streetcar

transportation mode

subwayhelicopter

Rotary-wing aircraft

automobile · private car · airplane · walking · bicycle

urban vs. non-urban context

subwaycountry road

Rural thoroughfare between towns

rural highway · farm track · dirt path

Phrases

subway tileRectangular glazed wall ceramic
subway stationUnderground railway platform
subway mapsUrban rail network charts
subway carUnderground train compartment
subway lineUnderground rail corridor
subway stopUnderground transit point

Family

Familiarity: Top 5,000
Profile: Known to kids · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G