railroad
Americannoun
-
a permanent road laid with rails, commonly in one or more pairs of continuous lines forming a track or tracks, on which locomotives and cars are run for the transportation of passengers, freight, and mail.
-
an entire system of such roads together with its rolling stock, buildings, etc.; the entire railway plant, including fixed and movable property.
-
the company of persons owning or operating such a plant.
-
Bowling. a split.
-
railroads, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.
verb (used with object)
-
to transport by means of a railroad.
-
to supply with railroads.
-
Informal. to push (a law or bill) hastily through a legislature so that there is not time enough for objections to be considered.
-
Informal. to convict (a person) in a hasty manner by means of false charges or insufficient evidence.
The prisoner insisted he had been railroaded.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
railroadsimple
-
railroadssimple
-
have railroadedperfect
-
has railroadedperfect
-
am railroadingprogressive
-
are railroadingprogressive
-
is railroadingprogressive
-
have been railroadingperfect progressive
-
has been railroadingperfect progressive
Past
-
railroadedsimple
-
had railroadedperfect
-
was railroadingprogressive
-
were railroadingprogressive
-
had been railroadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of railroad
1750–60; 1875–85 railroad for def. 9; rail 1 + road
Explanation
The system of tracks that trains run on can be called a railroad. A railroad is made up of the actual tracks, crossings, and stations, as well as the people who keep the trains running and scream, "All aboard!" If you prefer traveling by railroad, you like to ride trains, whether to the next town over or all the way across the country. Many railroad tracks in the US are used for freight trains that deliver goods around the country. When railroad is a verb, it can mean "move by train," but it's more likely to mean "force or coerce someone to do something," like when you railroad your brother into taking out the trash for you.
Vocabulary lists containing railroad
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Industrial Revolution - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
History of India - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Until the railroad boom of the 18th century’s second half, the U.S. was actually lagging the U.K., owing to major panics in 1819 and 1837.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 3, 2026
In this case, the proposed BID encompasses more than 160 parcels that are owned by more than 70 property owners within the “flats” area adjacent to a series of railroad tracks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
Imagine if one company could become the railroad, electric utility and cloud-computing provider of the emerging space economy.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
The railroad craze of the 19th century expanded investing for the first time to include mom and pop.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
They are called conductors, and the way they bring us here is called a railroad.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In the 1880s, quarterly reporting by railroads and other transportation companies were common.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Just as railroads, electric grids, and the Internet reshaped prior economic eras, we believe SpaceX is building the foundational platform for the next generation of industrial capacity,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Data on the extent of railroads provided by Esri, historical state boundaries by IPUMS/NHGIS, University of Minnesota.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
A draft published in Iranian media noted that Iran would trade oil for Chinese investments in ports, railroads and other infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
She cared nothing for railroads, those dangerous, dirty things.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
I looked into those charges and concluded that they are unsupported, that Pangram isn’t reliable enough to serve as the basis for such accusations, and that there is a strong possibility Mia Ballard was railroaded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Her mother Lesley said the company had "railroaded thousands of people's education".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2025
Having stripped away most of the documentary’s narration and sit-down interviews with Kerr’s family and friends, the film barely explores anyone’s psychology — and Blunt’s railroaded Dawn loses her chance to speak for herself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
Like other actors including Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, Julia Ormond, briefly a major star in the 1990s, has alleged in a lawsuit that Weinstein railroaded her career.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
If I had been railroaded, the authorities would have known how I’d gotten it.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
But wage-earners—in textile manufacturing and railroading, to pick two examples—gained by the steady appreciation in the purchasing power of their hard-earned money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Unlike Derry’s pubs, it welcomed everybody and also secretly provided a safe refuge for Hank as he hid from the cops intent on railroading him.
From Salon ● Dec. 8, 2025
“When the Mexican Revolution was going on, you had a lot of Mexican immigrants coming into these railroading hubs and centers like the Inland Empire, like San Bernardino,” Ocegueda said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2025
But Shaw said Norfolk Southern’s safety record has improved since it started using precision scheduled railroading in 2019.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2023
They launched into a long discussion of their memories, both of railroading and of the Sierras.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
