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

This public park has a rich history that includes a sacred Native American burial ground, the Underground Railroad and military training. — Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Her brothers turned back, but Tubman would go on to be a driving force in the Underground Railroad. — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026

Audiences learn about bootlegging during Prohibition, the Underground Railroad and quilting and what that has meant for the Black community and the Black church specifically. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Rather, the mission of Our Rescue, which used to be known as Operation Underground Railroad, is to save individuals from human-trafficking rings, often through showy sting operations. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Underground Railroad

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

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