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
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.
Tom’s three partners are Anthony (Fabien Frankel from House of the Dragon), Lizzie (Alison Oliver from Conversations with Friends), and Aleah (Thuso Mbedu from The Underground Railroad). Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025 It’s been open since 1850, and at one point, this bar was a stop on the Underground Railroad and even served as a brothel. Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Aug. 2025 The last stop of the Underground Railroad, Halifax, is a haven (relatively) for the formerly enslaved. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 23 July 2025 His life in Halifax, Nova Scotia — the last stop on the Underground Railroad, we’re reminded — seems humble but relatively contented. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 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 9 Sep. 2025.

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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