railroad

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

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

Grenville sees barge traffic growing exponentially in coming years, offering shippers another option and creating pressure on rates charged by truckers and the railroads.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Climate shifts could clog food routes through Kansas City," 8 Aug. 2017
No one with that kind of body — aspirational, curvy, golden — had ever before been naked in my apartment, stalking the railroad hallway as if in some defiant erotic runway show.

— carolyn murnick, The Cut, "What I Know About My Best Friend’s Murder," 25 July 2017
That includes shutting down most of the railroad’s 12 railyards to eliminate redundancy.

— josh funk, The Seattle Times, "CSX execs defend early progress in restructuring railroad," 19 July 2017
The parents of Sarah Jones sued CSX Transportation in Chatham County State Court, saying the railroad shared blame for their daughter’s death.

— Washington Post, "Jury: Railroad to pay $3.9M for train death of film worker," 17 July 2017
A leather tannery and railroad operated nearby, and in recent years, houses surrounded it.

— christine woodside, Smithsonian, "The Site of the Salem Witch Trial Hangings Finally Has a Memorial," 14 July 2017
Plans for creating the path date back to the 1970s when the Forest Preserve worked with 14 municipalities to gain ownership of the defunct railroad line.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "New bridge project completed on Old Plank Road Trail," 10 July 2017
In Corinne, we were stopped at a railroad crossing by a train that moved at a constant, slow speed, as if unmanned and responding to dumb instinct.

— heidi julavits, New York Times, "The Art at the End of the World," 7 July 2017
At the Rough Rider Remodel Kids Zone just north of the railroad tracks on Front Street, pony rides and a petting zoo will be in high demand along with more bounce action.

— faye reeder, star-telegram, "Communities across Tarrant County celebrate Independence Day," 2 July 2017

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

railroad Synonyms

Synonyms

rail, railway, road

Related Words

el, elevated, elevated railroad; monorail

railroad

verb

Definition of railroad

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

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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

The murders of two 15-year-old KIPP Believe College Prep students in April 2012 deserve to be solved, but not at the expense of railroading the wrong suspect in the only case that has seen an arrest, a New Orleans jury was told Tuesday (Aug. 22).

— ken daley, NOLA.com, "Orleans jury expected to weigh case of KIPP student's 'execution'," 22 Aug. 2017
Carol Dodge: Chris Tapp basically just got railroaded.

— CBS News, "The DNA of a Killer," 12 July 2017
Wyndham Vacation Ownership has agreed to cancel the contract of a Canadian couple who claimed they were railroaded into handing over a portion of their retirement fund for a timeshare deal while vacationing in Orlando.

— paul brinkmann, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Wyndham agrees to cancel 'pushy' timeshare deal," 7 July 2017
Senate rules are capacious enough to allow majorities broad latitude on moving legislation, but the speed to which those rules allow can create a strong sense that legislation is being railroaded.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "The verdict on Trump's SupCo win: Trust the experts," 26 June 2017
Quiet zone crossings also feature additional lights and markings so railroad workers approaching the intersection can identify them.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram.com, "Quiet zones at railroad crossings are popular. But are they safe?," 22 June 2017
Railroad shares have risen 10% in 2017, led by CSX's 40% surge on optimism that former Canadian Pacific CEO Hunter Harrison will improve margins by implementing his precision railroading philosophy.

— Bloomberg.com, "Hunter Harrison Hope Launches CSX Shares 40% Higher," 23 May 2017
The 15th Street viaduct, part of a series of elevated streets that spanned from the west side of the Platte River to upper downtown, bridged over an area of supply railroads the city tried not to see.

— nick groke, The Denver Post, "Rockies’ home opener is a bona fide holiday in Colorado — but why?," 6 Apr. 2017
Railroading veteran Hunter Harrison has turned around Canada’s two biggest freight carriers with tighter schedules and rigorous cost discipline.

— paul ziobro, WSJ, "Railroad Veteran’s Turnaround Strategy Faces Hurdles in U.S.," 9 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of railroad

1829

RAILROAD Defined for English Language Learners

railroad

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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