railroad

noun rail·road \ ˈrāl-ˌrōd , ˈrel- ; ˈre-ˌrōd \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of railroad

: a permanent road having a line of rails fixed to ties and laid on a roadbed and providing a track for cars or equipment drawn by locomotives or propelled by self-contained motors; also : such a road and its assets constituting a single property

See railroad defined for English-language learners

See railroad defined for kids

Examples of railroad in a Sentence

that railroad hasn't been used for passenger trains for decades

Recent Examples of railroad from the Web

Most recently, those donations include contributions from the oil industry, railroad companies, defense contractors and groups like the National Rifle Association’s PAC.

— kevin diaz and jeremy wallace, San Antonio Express-News, "Beto O’Rourke sets new fundraising records," 12 July 2018
Keith Spencer said Oxley spray painted someone else's property, in this case the railroad company's, without its permission.

— bryce airgood, Detroit Free Press, "Why 'happy bunny' signs are popping up in Royal Oak neighborhoods," 27 June 2018
Chlorine producers and shippers began working with railroad companies more than 10 years ago to enhance the safety features of railcars and valve assemblies.

— andrea leinfelder, Houston Chronicle, "Houston produces a lot of chlorine so responders need to be prepared," 20 June 2018
Several railroad companies use an app that allows first responders to determine what’s inside cars traveling through their cities, Williams, the BNSF spokesman, said.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "More, longer trains pose concern for suburban leaders after Aurora derailment," 1 June 2018
Marvin Gregory just landed work with a railroad company.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Just 15 weeks in, see how KC's tiny-house veteran village is changing lives | The Kansas City Star," 10 May 2018
In 2015, Bloomberg reported that railroad companies struggled to keep up with U.S. demand for trucks and SUVs, frustrating Ford and Toyota and prompting Warren Buffett to boost investments at his rail unit, Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

— phoebe wall howard, Philly.com, "$92,000 Navigator delivery delayed - 'I want my toy!' buyer laments," 17 Apr. 2018
All Aboard Florida, a private railroad company; Onemain, the country’s largest subprime lender; and Nationstar, which collects mortgage payments on behalf of lenders.

— landon thomas jr., New York Times, "SoftBank Looks to Invade Wall Street’s Turf," 11 Mar. 2018
To roam their shop — which sits here next to the Junction Barber Shop and not far from the railroad station where vintage Green Mountain rail cars roll slowly through town — is to take a step back into the Eisenhower Era.

— thomas farragher, BostonGlobe.com, "The End. Vermont typewriter shop’s closing marks the unrelenting scroll of time," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'railroad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of railroad

1757

in the meaning defined above

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railroad Synonyms

Synonyms

rail, railway, road;

Related Words

el, elevated, elevated railroad;

monorail;

railroad

verb

Definition of railroad

railroaded; railroading; railroads

transitive verb

1 a : to convict with undue haste and by means of false charges or insufficient evidence

b : to push through hastily or without due consideration

2 : to transport by railroad

intransitive verb

: to work for a railroad company

—

railroader

noun

See railroad defined for English-language learners

Examples of railroad in a Sentence

a controversial law that is being railroaded through Congress
a bill that was railroaded into law
They claim she was railroaded.

Recent Examples of railroad from the Web

Some Democrats argued that Franken had been railroaded and that the complaints should have been fully investigated.

— li zhou, Vox, "A pro-abortion rights group is asking candidates if they’ve been accused of sexual harassment," 30 May 2018
But there are also concerns that the proposal is being railroaded through the approval process, with little thought about its impact on the reviving Riverside enclave or Penn Treaty Park.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "Will a new riverfront concert venue close the gap between Fishtown and the Delaware - or widen it?," 28 June 2018
How, both ask, despite the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence, was Slater so obviously and badly railroaded?

— sarah weinman, The New Republic, "Arthur Conan Doyle, True Detective," 14 June 2018
Xiong, 37, of Milwaukee, violently crashed his minivan last summer, flying 100 feet in the air, and dropping another 30 from N. 76th St. to railroad tracks below, south of Brown Deer Road.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Driver gets prison for drunken crash that killed passenger after Milwaukee funeral," 17 May 2018
In each case, an out-of-control and/or politically motivated Justice Department had railroaded a conservative hero.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "A unified field theory of Donald Trump's pardons," 6 June 2018
Another thing: Animals know when humans like these judges are railroading them.

— joe queenan, WSJ, "Animals Just Can’t Bear Life Without Copyrights," 26 Apr. 2018
According to Schrems and his NOYB group, Google and Facebook are railroading users in this way.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Activists Are Already Targeting Google and Facebook Over Europe's New Data Privacy Law That Went Live Today," 25 May 2018
Police reports show a marijuana possession charge for Milby and an arrest for criminal trespass to railroad property.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Dixon High School shooting: Mom of suspected gunman says he was bullied and beaten," 17 May 2018

First Known Use of railroad

1829

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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RAILROAD Defined for English Language Learners

railroad

noun

Definition of railroad for English Language Learners

: a system of tracks on which trains travel
: a company that owns and operates trains

railroad

verb

Definition of railroad for English Language Learners

: to force (something) to be officially approved or accepted without much discussion or thought
: to convict (someone) of a crime unfairly
: to force (someone) into doing something quickly or without enough information