ways
A stretch of distance, or a direction somebody points you.
Also called a ways, a good ways.
Updated September 24, 2026
ways pronunciation
/WAYZ/
Meaning
When a place is a good ways off, it is farther than a hop and not measured in exact miles. Folks also say that ways or this ways when they point down a road. Schoolbooks want a long way. Country mouths keep the plural.
How folks use it
- “Town's a good ways down that blacktop.”
- “He went that ways toward the creek and never come back till dark.”
Origin and etymology
Older English used ways for distance the same way modern speech uses way. Rural Southern and Appalachian talk kept a ways, a good ways, and that ways as everyday direction talk. Formal English mostly dropped the plural.
Frequently asked questions
Is a ways the same as a long way?
Mostly yes. A ways is the Southern plural form. How far it really is depends on the speaker and the road.