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

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

Women accused him in lawsuits of exploiting his position at Operation Underground Railroad and their desire to help combat child trafficking to abuse them. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

But creators Misha Green (who would go on to make HBO’s Lovecraft Country) and Joe Pokaski (Cloak & Dagger) broadened its scope to examine many aspects of slavery and the Underground Railroad. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Previous Whitehead adaptations include RaMell Ross’ brilliant take on The Nickel Boys, and another Apple TV series based on his novel, The Underground Railroad. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 3 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