freight train
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of freight train
First recorded in 1835–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It felt like a freight train coming at you.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
But when a freight train stalled at a key intersection in the middle of the city, they found themselves stuck on the wrong side of the street for nearly 30 minutes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025
When that freight train leaves the station, you want to jump onboard, especially when it’s starting to pick up speed.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 17, 2025
An inquest held under the apartheid government concluded that Luthuli, the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died after being struck by a freight train while walking along a railway line.
From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025
So I hitched a ride on a freight train that was heading south.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.