A highway is any public road or other public way on land. In North American and Australian English, the term frequently implies a major road such as a controlled-access highway or an arterial road, generally under the control of a state or provincial agency instead of a local road authority.
In British English, "highway" is primarily a legal term. Everyday use normally implies roads, while the legal use covers any route or path with a public right of access, including footpaths etc. The term has led to several related derived terms, including highway system, highway code, and highway patrol.
The equivalent term in water-based travel is "waterway".