Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • The principal theater and amusement district of New York City, on the West Side of midtown Manhattan centered along the thoroughfare of Broadway.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a street in Manhattan famous for its restaurants and its theaters in the Times Square area. At its intersection with Seventh Avenue, it forms Times Square, an area with impressive displays of bright lights, particularly advertising; it is considered by some to be the cultural center of New York City.
  • noun the theater district of Manhattan, located near Times Square.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A street name, typically for a wide road; a broad way.
  • proper noun The wide road which runs diagonally through Manhattan, New York City.
  • proper noun A place name for a settlement which grew up around such a road. For example, Broadway, Worcestershire, Broadway, Somerset.
  • proper noun The theater district of Manhattan.
  • proper noun The theatres in the Broadway theatre district; especially those covered by contracts between the owners and theatrical unions.
  • proper noun The American theater industry.
  • proper noun Manitoba, idiomatic The government of Manitoba.
  • noun poker slang The highest straight in poker, ace-king-queen-jack-ten.
  • adjective Flashy; showy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

The Old English words "broad way" 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.

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Examples

  • Broadway and Sullivan intersection - Expect heavy traffic disruption as portions are shut down; access to Wal-Mart and Lowe's will be via Broadway.

    Spokesman.com: Latest stories 2010

  • Broadway and Sullivan intersection - Expect heavy traffic disruption as portions are shut down; access to Wal-Mart and Lowe's will be via Broadway.

    Spokesman.com: Latest stories 2010

  • The Broadway League and The Times Square Alliance announced today that the 17th Annual Broadway on Broadway® presented by Continental Airlines, will be held on Sunday, September 14th at 11: 30 a.m. in Times Square (entrance on 43rd Street and Broadway).

    BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content 2008

  • The Broadway League and The Times Square Alliance announced today that the 17th Annual Broadway on Broadway® presented by Continental Airlines, will be held on Sunday, September 14th at 11: 30 a.m. in Times Square (entrance on 43rd Street and Broadway).

    BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content 2008

  • Hotel, in Broadway, is well know [n] to travellers as, without exception, the best-conducted establishment of its kind in America; and equally well known to the residents of New York for its excellent cuisine, its unrivalled wine-cellar, and its political sympathies.

    Democratic Procession in New York. 1862

  • Indeed, the word "Broadway" keeps coming up in discussions of "Tom Sawyer."

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2011

  • Despite this petition the name Broadway doesn’t completely overtake the Bloomingdale Road until 1867.

    The King's Best Highway Eric Jaffe 2010

  • Despite this petition the name Broadway doesn’t completely overtake the Bloomingdale Road until 1867.

    The King's Best Highway Eric Jaffe 2010

  • Man of the Year) Levinson, with the word "Lick" in the title Broadway's Majestic Theater is home to The Phantom of the Opera

    Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch 2009

  • Man of the Year) Levinson, with the word "Lick" in the title Broadway's Majestic Theater is home to The Phantom of the Opera

    Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch 2009

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