railroad

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

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

railroader

3 of 3

noun (2)

rail·​road·​er

ˈrāl-ˌrō-dər, 

ˈrel-;

ˈre-ˌrō-

plural -s

: a railroad employee or official

Synonyms of railroad

Noun (1)

• road
• railway

Examples of railroad in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

In the past, economies ran on toll roads and railroads and pipelines that were physical. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

But the railroad is still operating its Florida service and moving ahead with plans for the true high speed trains between Las Vegas and Southern California. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Verb

That's a significant savings, but don't feel like you're being railroaded into a big-money contract. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 7 Sep. 2026

The terminal also will have direct access to every major Class I railroad and the interstate highway system. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

and Noun (2)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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