gangway

Noun

gangway (plural gangways)

1. (Ireland, UK) An aisle between rows of seating (especially in a train, aircraft or auditorium).
   • The new fleet of trains comes with widened gangways and improved seating.

   Synonyms:

   alley, alleyway, backs, bunnyrun, chare, chore, close, ennog, entry, fold

2. (UK, broadly) The dividing aisle between the rows of seats on either side of the House of Commons. Used chiefly with reference to terms such as below the gangway.

   Synonyms:

   alley, alleyway, backs, bunnyrun, chare, chore, close, ennog, entry, fold

3. (US) The narrow space between two buildings or houses, used to access the backyard/alleyway from the front.
   • Morris then allegedly tried to flee into a gangway between the bar and another building, closing a gate on an officer as he did2023 December 10, Ryan Krull, “St. Louis Police File Felony Charge Against Bar:PM Owner After SUV Crash”, in Riverfront Times, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2024

   Synonyms:

   alley, alleyway, backs, bunnyrun, chare, chore, close, ennog, entry, fold

4. An articulating bridge or ramp, such as from land to a dock or a ship.
   • We came over on the usual mid-morning service from Victoria and this time, as we came down the gangway of the Invicta, the Shedmaster at Calais, M. Leclerc, and Henri Dutertre were waiting for us.1961 March, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 150
   • Like a lot of my fellow passengers — indie-rock fans who had signed up for a three-day voyage full of bands and beverages — I’d never been on a cruise before. So I don’t know whether most of them begin with a staff member high-fiving each and every person who comes off the gangway.2012 March 30, Joe Levy, “Rockers at Sea”, in The New York Times
5. A passage along either side of a ship's upper deck.
6. A passage through the side of a ship or an opening in the railing through which the ship may be boarded; (also in later use) a jet bridge.
7. (rare) A temporary passageway, such as one made of planks.
8. (dialectal, obsolete, rare) A clear path through a crowd or a passageway with people.
9. An earthen and plank ramp leading from the stable yard into the upper storey or mow of a dairy barn.

Verb

gangway (third-person singular simple present gangways, present participle gangwaying, simple past and past participle gangwayed)

1. To serve as, furnish with, or conduct oneself as though proceeding on a gangway.
   • He gangwayed his way through the crowd, and just as the clock struck midnight, he was standing in front of NBC's camera on national TV as the governor-elect of Minnesota and the first Reform Party candidate ever to be elected to high office.2004, Bill Hillsman, Run the Other Way
   • They're conducting phone conversations without speaking into the wrong end of their mobiles, or gangwaying to the Gents without tripping over, or turning the pages of a newspaper without blacking adjacent eyes.2014, Jude Cook, Byron Easy

Interjection

1. (to a crowd) Make way! Clear a path!
   • And he pushed his way through the crowd crying, "Gangway, gangway!" and dragging Jane and Michael after him.1934, P[amela] L[yndon] Travers, “Full Moon”, in Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins; 1), London: Gerald Howe Ltd […], →OCLC, page 157
   • Lemme at 'im! Lemme at 'im! I'll get 'im, Babbitt! Gangway, I'll moidalize him!1942 November 21, A Tale of Two Kitties, spoken by Catstello