What does "broadway" mean?
The highest straight in poker, ace-king-queen-jack-ten.
Broadway
/ˈbɹɔdweɪ/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The highest straight in poker, ace-king-queen-jack-ten.
- Grammar: broadway is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: boards, burlesque, carnival, circus.
- Useful contrasts: alley, backstreet, local.
- Usage evidence: We're booked for the whole month on Broadway.
How to use "broadway"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "broadway" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "broadway" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "broadway" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "broadway" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "broadway" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boards" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "broadway", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The highest straight in poker, ace-king-queen-jack-ten. slang
- 2 An esplanade.
"Just above the doorway, which opened spang onto the broadway of Datura, a grinning face peered down upon the visitors, its eyes ruby-colored glass."
- 3 A straight from ace to ten in Texas hold 'em, or any of the cards (ace, king, queen, jack, ten) used to make such a straight. slang
Adjective
- 1 Flashy; showy. broadly, not-comparable
"Since he got the recording contract, he's gone all Broadway."
- 2 Of, or pertaining to, the cards that make up a Broadway straight. not-comparable, slang
"Broadway connectors"
Proper Noun
- 1 A street name, typically for a wide road; a broad way. uncountable
- 2 A place name for a settlement which grew up around such a road. For example, Broadway, Worcestershire, Broadway, Somerset. uncountable
- 3 The wide road which runs diagonally through Manhattan, New York City. uncountable
- 4 The theater district of Manhattan. uncountable
- 5 The theatres in the Broadway theatre district; especially those covered by contracts between the owners and theatrical unions. uncountable
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 The American theater industry. metonymically, uncountable
"Among the ensemble’s strange, outmoded, “original” instruments — the feral horns, sour violins, wooden flutes, cellos without endpins — she seemed right at home, despite her Broadway provenance."
- 7 The government of Manitoba (from the Legislative Building's address, on Broadway). metonymically, uncountable
"Angry city councillors lashed out against both Broadway and Ottawa on Wednesday, claiming the Doer government and the Harper Conservatives are spending millions on infrastructure projects Winnipeg doesn't want and not enough on road repairs the city needs."
- 8 Two villages in England:; A village and civil parish in Wychavon district, Worcestershire (OS grid ref SP0937). uncountable
- 9 Two villages in England:; A village and civil parish in Somerset, previously in South Somerset district (OS grid ref ST3215). uncountable
- 10 A hamlet in The Havens community, Pembrokeshire, Wales (OS grid ref SM8713). uncountable
- 11 A village in County Wexford, Ireland. uncountable
- 12 A community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada. uncountable
- 13 A settlement in the United States:; A neighbourhood of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. uncountable
- 14 A settlement in the United States:; An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Warren County, New Jersey. uncountable
- 15 A settlement in the United States:; A town in Lee County, North Carolina. uncountable
- 16 A settlement in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Taylor Township, Union County, Ohio. uncountable
- 17 A settlement in the United States:; A town in Rockingham County, Virginia. uncountable
- 18 A locality in the Upper Lachlan council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia. uncountable
- 19 A rare surname uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"We're booked for the whole month on Broadway."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "broadway"?
Common synonyms include: boards, burlesque, carnival, circus, drama, entertainment industry.
How do you use "broadway" in a sentence?
We're booked for the whole month on Broadway.
How do you pronounce "broadway"?
Pronounced /ˈbɹɔdweɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From broad + way. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broadway, Somerset and Broadway, Worcestershire, England, which are listed in the Domesday Book census of 1086AD as "Bradewie" and "Bradeweia" respectively. Sense of “government of Manitoba” is from the address of the Manitoba Legislative Building, on Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Etymology 2
From broad + way.