: 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
railroaded; railroading; railroads
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
: to work for a railroad company
railroader
noun
Synonyms
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
Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
With the advent of railroads, buffets gained widespread popularity in France.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The intense heat warped signal lights affixed to a railroad crossing just west of the 140-unit development.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
This 4-mile hike traverses past four waterfalls and follows part of an old railroad.
—The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024
His sister sued the railroad company, CSX, which settled with her for an undisclosed amount.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2024
Full passenger train service between San Diego and Orange counties is expected to resume Monday after the completion of a barrier wall to protect the railroad tracks from a San Clemente landslide triggered by seasonal rains.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The park, which opens March 27, sits on a 17-acre site between the river and the railroad tracks enslaved people were forced to lay.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
The city bears the name of railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington and oil pumps still dot the landscape, if less bountiful as housing prices have spiked.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024
Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The point Sandoval appears to be trying to make is that he has been unfairly railroaded by the court of public opinion.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2024
During the course of the trial, Trump repeatedly claimed, inside and outside of the courtroom, that he was being railroaded for political reasons.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
This is how the members of the Central Park Five were railroaded into long prison sentences.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024
Characters include Anna, the only female player; Frank, the unwelcome creep; and Jim, the game master who railroads the game’s story.
—Canwen Xu, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Several owners felt railroaded by an aggressive legal process that typically wrapped up in a few months.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Soon, the media joined the chorus of disapproval, saying that such an act was not just offensive but downright racist, and these performers deserved to be railroaded off the stage in perpetuity.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
Noun
Before the 19th century, when the steamship and the railroad greatly expanded the capacity for long-distance transit, little attention was paid to tracking time zones on the wrist.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
With the advent of railroads, buffets gained widespread popularity in France.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The intense heat warped signal lights affixed to a railroad crossing just west of the 140-unit development.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
This 4-mile hike traverses past four waterfalls and follows part of an old railroad.
—The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024
His sister sued the railroad company, CSX, which settled with her for an undisclosed amount.
—Topher Sanders, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2024
Full passenger train service between San Diego and Orange counties is expected to resume Monday after the completion of a barrier wall to protect the railroad tracks from a San Clemente landslide triggered by seasonal rains.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
The park, which opens March 27, sits on a 17-acre site between the river and the railroad tracks enslaved people were forced to lay.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
The city bears the name of railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington and oil pumps still dot the landscape, if less bountiful as housing prices have spiked.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
That and the idea that all women who acted in adult films had been railroaded into it.
—Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The point Sandoval appears to be trying to make is that he has been unfairly railroaded by the court of public opinion.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2024
During the course of the trial, Trump repeatedly claimed, inside and outside of the courtroom, that he was being railroaded for political reasons.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
This is how the members of the Central Park Five were railroaded into long prison sentences.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024
Characters include Anna, the only female player; Frank, the unwelcome creep; and Jim, the game master who railroads the game’s story.
—Canwen Xu, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024
Several owners felt railroaded by an aggressive legal process that typically wrapped up in a few months.
—Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Soon, the media joined the chorus of disapproval, saying that such an act was not just offensive but downright racist, and these performers deserved to be railroaded off the stage in perpetuity.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'railroad.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Articles Related to railroad
Dictionary Entries Near railroad
Cite this Entry
“Railroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railroad. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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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 verb1
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 very much evidence or by means of false charges
railroader
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on railroad
Nglish: Translation of railroad for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of railroad for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about railroad
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