Underground Railroad

noun

variants or less commonly Underground Railway
: a system of cooperation among active antislavery people in the U.S. before 1863 by which people escaping enslavement were secretly helped to reach the North or Canada

Examples of Underground Railroad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The Dutch immigrant community in the area was intertwined with the operation of the Underground Railroad, Shepherd said, and the homestead may be connected to that history. Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026 Production is underway in Pennsylvania on the project, which centers on a local Gettysburg family navigating the chaos of war, the moral crossroads of the Underground Railroad, and the struggles of a Union soldier torn between duty and compassion. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026 Her grandfather was an escaped slave from Missouri who made his way to Grinnell via the Underground Railroad in 1859 and established himself there as a barber, according to historical records cited by the Drake Community Library. Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 5 Jan. 2026 In a cave that hid freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, their uncle shares a story of a creature that stirs at night. Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 15 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Underground Railroad

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Underground Railroad was in 1842

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Cite this Entry

“Underground Railroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Underground%20Railroad. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

Underground Railroad

noun
: a system of cooperation among active antislavery people in the U.S. before 1863 by which people escaping enslavement were secretly helped to reach the North or Canada

More from Merriam-Webster on Underground Railroad

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