: a permanent road having a line of rails fixed to ties and laid on a roadbed and providing a track for cars or equipment drawn by locomotives or propelled by self-contained motors
also
: such a road and its assets constituting a single property
railroaded; railroading; railroads
1
a
: to convict with undue haste and by means of false charges or insufficient evidence
b
: to push through hastily or without due consideration
2
: to transport by railroad
: to work for a railroad company
railroader
noun
Synonyms
Examples of railroad in a Sentence
Noun
that railroad hasn't been used for passenger trains for decades
Verb
a controversial law that is being railroaded through Congress
a bill that was railroaded into law
They claim she was railroaded.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The commission had been looking at this issue, but determined the the sale of the railroad adequately addresses the issue.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Norfolk Southern has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the railroad announced Tuesday.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The railroad also announced preliminary first-quarter earnings of 23 cents per share Tuesday to reflect the impact of the settlement.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
The railroad has promised to create a fund to help pay for the long-term health needs of the community, but that hasn’t happened yet.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
On Sunday night, the railroad requested a last-minute change of venue, citing a weekend story by The Associated Press about the trial and asbestos contamination in Libby.
—Amy Beth Hanson and Matthew Brown, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
The men involved cut the locks off railroad cars and cut holes in fences around the warehouses to gain unlawful access and carry out the crimes, according to the indictment.
—Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Before the 19th century, when the steamship and the railroad greatly expanded the capacity for long-distance transit, little attention was paid to tracking time zones on the wrist.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
That and the idea that all women who acted in adult films had been railroaded into it.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The point Sandoval appears to be trying to make is that he has been unfairly railroaded by the court of public opinion.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2024
During the course of the trial, Trump repeatedly claimed, inside and outside of the courtroom, that he was being railroaded for political reasons.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
This is how the members of the Central Park Five were railroaded into long prison sentences.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024
Characters include Anna, the only female player; Frank, the unwelcome creep; and Jim, the game master who railroads the game’s story.
—Canwen Xu, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Several owners felt railroaded by an aggressive legal process that typically wrapped up in a few months.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Soon, the media joined the chorus of disapproval, saying that such an act was not just offensive but downright racist, and these performers deserved to be railroaded off the stage in perpetuity.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
Noun
The Harriet Tubman Effect utilizes the historical strategies of the underground railroad and the Combahee River Raid to inspire their present-day work.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The commission had been looking at this issue, but determined the the sale of the railroad adequately addresses the issue.
—Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 11 Apr. 2024
Norfolk Southern has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit stemming from the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the railroad announced Tuesday.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The railroad also announced preliminary first-quarter earnings of 23 cents per share Tuesday to reflect the impact of the settlement.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
The railroad has promised to create a fund to help pay for the long-term health needs of the community, but that hasn’t happened yet.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
On Sunday night, the railroad requested a last-minute change of venue, citing a weekend story by The Associated Press about the trial and asbestos contamination in Libby.
—Amy Beth Hanson and Matthew Brown, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
The men involved cut the locks off railroad cars and cut holes in fences around the warehouses to gain unlawful access and carry out the crimes, according to the indictment.
—Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Before the 19th century, when the steamship and the railroad greatly expanded the capacity for long-distance transit, little attention was paid to tracking time zones on the wrist.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
France’s foreign minister felt railroaded by the news that the Americans—specifically Franklin—had gone behind his back.
—Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
That and the idea that all women who acted in adult films had been railroaded into it.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The point Sandoval appears to be trying to make is that he has been unfairly railroaded by the court of public opinion.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2024
During the course of the trial, Trump repeatedly claimed, inside and outside of the courtroom, that he was being railroaded for political reasons.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
This is how the members of the Central Park Five were railroaded into long prison sentences.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024
Characters include Anna, the only female player; Frank, the unwelcome creep; and Jim, the game master who railroads the game’s story.
—Canwen Xu, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Several owners felt railroaded by an aggressive legal process that typically wrapped up in a few months.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Soon, the media joined the chorus of disapproval, saying that such an act was not just offensive but downright racist, and these performers deserved to be railroaded off the stage in perpetuity.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'railroad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Railroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railroad. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
railroad
1 of 2 noun
rail·road
ˈrā(ə)l-ˌrōd 
1
: a permanent road that has parallel steel rails which make a track for cars
2
: a railroad together with the lands, buildings, locomotives, cars, and other equipment that belong to it
railroad
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to send by railroad
b
: to work on a railroad
2
a
: to push (as a bill) through a legislature in a rush
b
: to convict and send to prison without very much evidence or by means of false charges
railroader
noun
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