railroading

[ reyl-roh-ding ]

/ ˈreɪlˌroʊ dɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR railroading ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the construction or operation of railroads.

Nearby words

railroad, railroad flat, railroad pen, railroad worm, railroader, railroading, railway, railwayman, raiment, raimondi, raimondi, marcantonio

Origin of railroading

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; railroad + -ing¹

Definition for railroading (2 of 2)

railroad

[ reyl-rohd ]

/ ˈreɪlˌroʊd /

noun

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)

to work on a railroad.

Origin of railroad

1750–60; 1875–85 for def 9; rail¹ + road

Related formsnon·rail·road, adjectivepre·rail·road, adjectivepro·rail·road, adjectiveun·rail·road·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for railroading

The most direct mail route was not the one best suited for human travel in a time when railroading was still in its infancy.
Santorum’s Audi and Other Political Transportation Follies|Ben Jacobs|February 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
By railroading the McDonnells and Joneses of the world out of public life, we're left with colorless numbskulls.
Leave Van Jones Alone|Reihan Salam|September 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Any detail of railroading that is not troublesome cannot honorably be described as continental.
Following the Equator, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
This then, in brief, is the history of American railroading—an eighty-year struggle from East to West.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford

Somewhere along the line I would like to, but just now railroading takes up my time.
Ralph, the Train Dispatcher|Allen Chapman
Today it is perhaps the most stringently observed of all the manifold commandments in American railroading.
The Railroad Problem|Edward Hungerford
Here he remained until 1907, when ill-health caused his retirement from railroading.
The Story of the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg RailRoad|Edward Hungerford

British Dictionary definitions for railroading

railroad

/ (ˈreɪlˌrəʊd) /

noun

the usual US word for railway

verb

(tr) informal to force (a person) into (an action) with haste or by unfair means

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroading

1842, "travel by rail," from railroad (n.). As "business of running railways" from 1882.

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroad

1757, from rail (n.1) + road. Originally "road laid with rails for heavy wagons (in mining)." The process itself (but not the word) seems to have been in use by late 17c. Application to passenger and freight trains dates from 1825, though tending to be replaced in this sense in England by railway.

Word Origin and History for railroading (2 of 3)

railroad

"to convict quickly and perhaps unjustly," 1873, American English, from railroad (n.).

A person knowing more than might be desirable of the affairs, or perhaps the previous life of some powerful individual, high in authority, might some day ventilate his knowledge, possibly before a court of justice; but if his wisdom is railroaded to State's prison, his evidence becomes harmless. ["Wanderings of a Vagabond," New York, 1873]

Related: Railroaded; railroading. An earlier verb sense was "to have a mania for building railroads" (1847).

railroading

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of railroading

Definition for railroading (2 of 2)

railroad

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of railroad

Examples from the Web for railroading

British Dictionary definitions for railroading

railroad

noun

verb

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroading

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroad

Word Origin and History for railroading (2 of 3)

railroad

railroading

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Origin of railroading

Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} railroading (2 of 2)

railroad

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of railroad

Examples from the Web for railroading

British Dictionary definitions for railroading

railroad

noun

verb

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroading

Word Origin and History for railroading (1 of 3)

railroad

Word Origin and History for railroading (2 of 3)

railroad

noun

Definition for railroading (2 of 2)