runways

Noun

runway (plural runways)

1. A defined, narrow section of land or an artificial structure used for access.
   • The invention comprehends an inclined runway or cable connected at its upper end in any desirable way to a point adjacent the bin, pocket, or chute to which the coal is to be delivered and connected at its lower end to a post or other point of attachment located at the side of the pile of coal. […]...1894 December 10, Frank H[enry] Symons, Apparatus for Reloading Coal, US Patent 546,790, page 1
2. The usual path taken by deer or other wild animals, such as from a forest to a water source.
   • There is a water-break formed by a small terrace of rock in mid-stream, and purling with a hollow, delicious monotone—an island of pebbles is above, with here and there smaller ones near the "forks." This pebbly island is directly on the runway, or customary trail which the hunted deer pursues...1846 October, Alfred B[illings] Street, “A Day’s Hunting about the Mongaup”, in George R[ex] Graham, editor, Graham’s American Monthly Magazine of Literature and Art, volume XXIX, number 4...
3. A narrow walkway (often on a platform) extending from a stage on which people walk, especially one used by models during fashion shows.
   • He halfheartedly paid attention to the flurry of activity on the runway, until a thunderous round of applause suddenly broke out. He then sat up straight, giving his full attention to the striking, attention-grabbing model who'd just strolled onto the runway.2009, Linda Hudson-Smith, chapter 1, in Romancing the Runway (Kimani Romance), Washington, D.C.: Kimani Press, →ISBN

   Synonyms:

   catwalk

4. In javelin, long jump, and similar events: a short track along which athletes can accelerate themselves for their jumps or throws.
   • Proper footwear is a must for javelin throwing. To some degree the surface of the runway will dictate the type of shoe.1969, Virginia Parker, Robert [Emmett] Kennedy, Track and Field for Girls and Women (Saunders Physical Activities Series), Philadelphia, Pa.: W. B. Saunders, →OCLC, page 84
5. A section of land, usually paved, for airplanes to land on or take off from.
   • Down at the end of the field when ready for the take-off, I'd taxi the ship off the runway and tell him why I did that—"so as not to block incoming ships," and I'd tell him at the same time why the incoming ship was supposed to land in the first third of the field and why in the take-off we were...1945, Robert Lee Scott Jr., Runway to the Sun, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner's Sons, →OCLC, page 135
6. (informal) The number of months that a startup company can operate by using up its cash reserves.
   • So, if you have $1.8M in the bank and monthly burn rate of $150,000, you have a runway of 12 months.2014, Paul Paetz, “End Game”, in Disruption by Design: How to Create Products that Disrupt and Dominate Markets, Berkeley, Calif.: Apress, →ISBN, part III (The Last Mile), page 235

See all 7 meanings of runway