railway

noun

rail·​way ˈrāl-ˌwā How to pronounce railway (audio)
: railroad
especially : a railroad operating with light equipment or within a small area

Examples of railway in a Sentence

a system of railways that crisscrosses the whole nation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The alleged attacks have included blazes at a shopping mall in Poland and an Ikea store in Lithuania, cyberattacks on Czech railways, and the vandalism of Jewish buildings in France. Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025 In addition to the mighty river, the BNSF railway runs through town and the I-55 highway connects Osceola to New Orleans and Chicago. Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 In the 1920s, Margery Crandon, the wife of a prominent Boston surgeon, was visited in séances by her brother Walter, who had died in a railway accident at age twenty-eight. David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 Difficult path to building urban railways However, other types of obstacles presented themselves. Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for railway

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of railway was in 1681

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Railway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railway. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

railway

noun
rail·​way ˈrā(ə)l-ˌwā How to pronounce railway (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on railway

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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