railroad

1 of 2

noun

rail·​road ˈrāl-ˌrōd 

ˈrel-;

ˈre-ˌrōd 

: 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

railroad

2 of 2

verb

railroaded; railroading; railroads

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to work for a railroad company

railroader noun

Synonyms

Noun

• rail
• railway
• road

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

Noun

Around the turn of the twentieth century, the construction of bridges and the electrification of the railroad significantly shrank that distance. —Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024

The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help to identify a man found dead near railroad tracks in a West Sacramento neighborhood earlier this month. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1829, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing railroad

• railroad bridge
• railroad crossing
• railroad flat
• railroad worm

Kids 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 verb

1

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