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autobahn

/ˌɔdəˈbɑn/
IPA guide

Other forms: autobahns

A high-speed German highway is known as an autobahn. While there's no legal speed limit on large sections of an autobahn, signs advise drivers to stay under 130 kilometers per hour (about 80 miles per hour).

The specific national system of German highways, generally referred to as the Autobahn, is officially called the Bundesautobahn, or "federal motorway." The word isn't capitalized in English when it generally refers to German-designed highways, which also exist in parts of Poland, Austria, and some other European countries. Germany's Autobahn is famous for not having speed limits, but that's a bit of a misconception: Drivers do have to slow down on sections that run through cities and construction sites.

Definitions of autobahn
  1. noun
    an expressway in a German-speaking country
    see moresee less
    type of:
    expressway, freeway, motorway, pike, state highway, superhighway, throughway, thruway
    a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
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