: 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
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
Reema Khan, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights; George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
But much to Pakistan’s chagrin, bitter rival India railroaded the event and the Champions Trophy will be mostly remembered for their might on-and-off the field.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for railroad
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Noun
Like the 19th-century railroad industry—where true economic transformation stemmed from cities and industries enabled by railroads—rockets are infrastructure enabling a larger economic ecosystem.
—Reema Khan, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Bertha sets her sights on a prize that would elevate the family to unimaginable heights; George risks everything on a gambit that could revolutionize the railroad industry.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Maybe this is a story about how some kid gets railroaded.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
But much to Pakistan’s chagrin, bitter rival India railroaded the event and the Champions Trophy will be mostly remembered for their might on-and-off the field.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for railroad
Cite this Entry
“Railroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railroad. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 much evidence or by means of false charges
railroader
noun
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