railway

noun

rail·​way ˈrāl-ˌwā How to pronounce railway (audio)
Synonyms of railwaynext
: railroad
especially : a railroad operating with light equipment or within a small area

Examples of railway in a Sentence

a system of railways that crisscrosses the whole nation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said, 14 Ukrainian regions came under attack, followed by overnight strikes on Ukraine’s residential, energy and railway infrastructure. Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026 The large-scale wave of Russian attacks also targeted other regions, including Poltava and Zaporizhzhia, and damaged some energy and railway infrastructure. Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 On Tuesday, Zelensky said, 14 Ukrainian regions came under attack, followed by overnight strikes on Ukraine’s residential, energy and railway infrastructure. Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 The overnight strikes targeted Ukraine's residential and railway infrastructure in the central Dnipro and northeastern Kharkiv regions, port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, and energy facilities in the central Poltava region, according to Zelenskyy. ABC News, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for railway

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of railway was in 1681

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Railway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railway. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

railway

noun
rail·​way ˈrā(ə)l-ˌwā How to pronounce railway (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on railway

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster