ways

noun

Definition of waysnext
plural of way
1
as in roads
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel the town honored the local sports hero by naming after him a short way connecting two shopping centers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in habits
a usual manner of behaving or doing she's set in her ways and is not about to change

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in paths
an established course for traveling from one place to another took the regular way to work

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in tendencies
an established pattern of behavior that's just his way, so pay him no mind

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in routes
the direction along which something or someone moves go the same way that the school bus does

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in methods
the means or procedure for doing something figured out the best way to accomplish the task

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7
as in doorways
the opening through which one can enter or leave a structure we came in the back way

Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in options
the power, right, or opportunity to choose have it your way

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in distances
the space or amount of space between two points, lines, surfaces, or objects it's just a little way down the road

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ways By definition, tiny houses pretty much always involve working around constraints, but some designers have found clever ways of making a small home feel like a larger one. — New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026 Ioannidis argues that, in some ways, claims of scientific progress are a public relations game. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026 Researchers trained it on tasks with known loopholes—ways to get rewarded without actually completing the task as intended— then gave it new challenges. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 As businesses collect, share and use data in increasingly complex ways, both individual consumers and business clients need to know whether privacy commitments are backed by responsible practices. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Both Duffield and Kraus drew connections to the science fiction genre in different ways, with Kraus developing an interest in whales during the frontloaded research process for the book, which took about three months. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 There are other ways to discover rebates and financial incentives to electrify your home by zip code, region, and through state programs. — Molly McCrea, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 The company said there are two ways for creators to participate on the platform. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 The show is about the conglomeration of various immigrant groups and people taking advantage of one another in different ways in the Central Valley in California of that era. — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ways
  1. roads
  2. habits
  3. paths
  4. tendencies
  5. routes
  6. methods
  7. doorways
  8. options
Noun
  • Most mountain roads should remain wet, but slick conditions are possible above 9,000 feet, especially after dark.
    — Joe Ruch, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Critics also worried that an unplanned surge in housing could strain schools, roads and other infrastructure.
    — Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of roads
Noun
  • Adding an item to the platform has been designed to fit existing digital habits.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of pulling back altogether, consumers are changing their shopping habits by trading down to lower-price brands and stores, shopping earlier and relying more on credit cards and buy now pay later plans, Eshelman said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of habits
Noun
  • Imagine that two planets orbit a star on very similar paths, but one (call it Planet 1) is just barely closer to the star than the other (Planet 2).
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In contrast, a learner that assumes the world has shape, persistent objects, agents with goals, causes that precede effects and space with paths through it only needs enough data to locate things within that structure.
    — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of paths
Noun
  • Throughout the panel, the cast was playful and self-aware about the show’s gonzo tendencies, especially 13 seasons in.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • At Community Table, executive chef Marcell Davidsen brings an understated Nordic sensibility to the area’s locavore tendencies.
    — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tendencies
Noun
  • One of the first to try on that hat was the agency's Perseverance rover on Mars, which used machine learning to plan and complete its first drive on the Red Planet using routes mapped out by generative AI in December 2025.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Throughout the war, Russia has repeatedly bombarded Ukraine’s Black Sea and Danube river ports, leaving Kyiv increasingly reliant on alternative routes to get its grain exports to markets in Africa and the Middle East.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of routes
Noun
  • The team also evaluated methods for attaching sensors to storage casks, with the aim of developing installations capable of remaining in place for years under high-temperature and high-radiation conditions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But Washburn is further troubled by A-83’s language mandating hunting and angling as preferred methods of wildlife management.
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of methods
Noun
  • Many migrants who remained in Ceuta have sheltered in Muslim neighborhoods, sleeping on streets, in doorways and in makeshift tent camps and centers run by NGOs and locals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • All multi-floor buildings have elevators, and there are accessible guest rooms with mobility features and wide doorways.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of doorways
Noun
  • Passes for the 2027 edition will be available in two, three- and four-day options, with presale registration now open.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, when presented with an overwhelming number of options, most of us end up seeking comfort in dependable outfit formulas instead of taking risks.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of options

Phrases Containing ways

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way-out
ways
way station
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Cite this Entry

“Ways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ways. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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