railroad

1 of 2

noun

rail·​road ˈrāl-ˌrōd 

ˈrel-;

ˈre-ˌrōd 

: 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

railroad

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms

Noun

• road
• railway

Examples of railroad in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

a controversial law that is being railroaded through Congress

a bill that was railroaded into law

They claim she was railroaded.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Once construction is completed, the railroad will need to do test runs to make sure everything is working well before service begins to Dyer and Munster. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

Recently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied Maryland’s request for $15 million to address floods in Alleghany County that damaged roads and bridges, railroads, sewage systems, public utilities and hundreds of homes and businesses. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2025

Verb

On paper, Norfolk Southern is a better fit for BNSF, which has underperformed its rival Class I railroads over the last few years. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 21 July 2025

Both the men’s lawyers and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said New York’s criminal justice system railroaded them in every way imaginable. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1757, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1829, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing railroad

• railroad bridge
• railroad crossing
• railroad flat
• railroad worm

Rhymes for railroad

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

Kids Definition

railroad

1 of 2 noun

rail·​road ˈrā(ə)l-ˌrōd 

1

: a permanent road that has parallel steel rails which make a track for cars

2

: a railroad together with the lands, buildings, locomotives, cars, and other equipment that belong to it

railroad

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to send by railroad

b

: to work on a railroad

2

a

: to push (as a bill) through a legislature in a rush

b

: to convict and send to prison without much evidence or by means of false charges

railroader noun