down the road

down the road

1. Literally, close to someone or something else that is located on the same road. Amy and I grew up down the road from each other and have been best friends since we were five years old. The mechanic's shop is right down the road—you can't miss it.
2. In the future. If you don't do your homework now, it'll be a problem down the road when you don't know the material for the exam. I do want to get married, but down the road, not any time soon.
See also: down, road
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

down the road

COMMON If you talk about something happening a particular number of years or months down the road, you are talking about it happening after that amount of time. Twenty-five years down the road from independence, we have to start making some new priorities. The index is designed to predict economic performance six to nine months down the road. We are concerned that any problems will only show up years down the road. Compare with down the line.
See also: down, road
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

down the road

in the future; later on. informal, chiefly North American
An Australian variant of this phrase is down the track .
See also: down, road
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

down the road

In the future; at a later date.
See also: down, road
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

down the road

In the future, as in “He’d love to buy another store, but that’s down the road a ways,” or “Her doctoral degree is about three years down the road.” This colloquialism dates from the second half of the 1900s.
See also: down, road
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • come across
  • fork in the road
  • get out of the road
  • take to the road
  • in (one's) road
  • in the road
  • road pizza
  • wind around
  • frog and toad
  • further down the road
References in periodicals archive
Down the road, he says, the VoIP effort could expand to cover as much as 80 or 90 percent of the campus.
The plan's the thing: the world of academic telecommunications is changing rapidly. Are you ready to change with it?
He could always try to cut a deal down the road if the outlook turned truly bleak.
Sand trap; U.S. diplomacy did work: it got us into war
Another witness, Paul Blakeley, 24, who lives overlooking the scene at Ledgard Bridge Mills, said: "I was speaking to my neighbour on the balcony when we heard this bike tearing down the road.
Biker crash horror; Man, 25, left with serious head injuries
"The impact ripped the lamppost out of the ground and dragged it 20 to 30ft down the road.
Pizza delivery driver escapes crash
But I walk down the road alone, Thinking of the day just gone, Alone I walk, down the street That no one and nothing is on.
Simultaneous Future, Past and Present
When Jesus walked down the road, the presence of sin was palpable.
Where have all the demons gone? Modern religion has dispossessed a rich history of demons and devils in our midst, but maybe Satan served a purpose in the way he makes evil palpable. (testaments)
In essence, Yellowknife, like its protagonists, gets lost somewhere down the road. It has some beautiful elements, but probably needed another few drafts to have them fully realized.
Yellowknife. (Reviews)
I got out to see if the driver of the other vehicle was okay and that's when I realised there was no one in it.' Mr Cope said the Ring and Ride driver had chased the vehicle down the road - in vain.
MINIBUS DRAMA LEAVES 6 INJURED
Darren Carley, 11, was wounded in the leg as the masked killer chased his victim down the road.
Torched car clue to fatal shooting
editors were a little farther down the road than with European editors.
PHARMACIA DAIRY MEDIA EVENT FEELS LIKE A NICE VISIT TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE
"We see operating these plants down the road as kind of merchant plan in the overall scheme of things.
Association seeks approval to lease power plants
Still, I feel I have to be aggressive when it comes to my investment strategy because my retirement years are not too far down the road. I do have a portfolio of mutual funds.
Stocks vs. funds
While stressing that their results represent the earliest stages of this work, Lyding sees potential applications down the road for the manufacture of transistors, computer chips, and electronic memory devices.
System breaks individual molecular bonds
"It really looks as if Russia is moving down the road to ecological property rights," says Jim Sheehan, an environmental policy analyst with the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Russian refuge: conservation begins with a private park
The 'it's only down the road' excuse can easily end up with a trip to the morgue.
Short distance gamblers