railway

[ reyl-wey ]

/ ˈreɪlˌweɪ /

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noun

a rail line with lighter-weight equipment and roadbed than a main-line railroad.

a railroad, especially one operating over relatively short distances.

Also called trackway. any line or lines of rails forming a road of flanged-wheel equipment.

Chiefly British. railroad.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of railway

First recorded in 1770–80; rail¹ + way¹

OTHER WORDS FROM railway

railwayed, adjectiverailwayless, adjectivein·ter·rail·way, adjectivepre·rail·way, adjective

un·rail·wayed, adjective

Words nearby railway

railroad flat, railroading, railroad pen, railroad worm, rail-splitter, railway, railwayman, raiment, Raimondi, rain, rainband

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use railway in a sentence

US policymakers have earmarked 7% of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill making its way through the Senate for greater broadband access, nearly as much as it’s investing in the nation’s railways.
The US is ready to pay for broadband like the essential service it is|Camille Squires|August 5, 2021|Quartz
Today the water is still bottled in town, but the old railway that delivered travelers into town has been converted into a 20-mile-long rail trail that’s perfect for running.
The Runner’s Guide to Texas|kklein|July 16, 2021|Outside Online
We laid railway tracks and paved roadways that spanned continents.
Why Richard Branson's Spaceflight Is a Very Big Deal|Jeffrey Kluger|July 11, 2021|Time
Texas Central Railway, a private railway company, is in talks to build a high-speed line connecting Dallas and Houston.
Amtrak's Boss Has a Plan to Make You Love Trains Again. Will it Work?|Patrick Lucas Austin|May 3, 2021|Time

According to a plan issued by the State Council in February 2021, China will be home to 200,000 kilometers of railways by 2035.
What’s bigger than a megacity? China’s planned city clusters|Ling Xin|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review
All in all, approximately 13,000 Allied POWs and 90,000 Asian laborers perished while working on the railway.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Manttan is keen to carry out research on that Burmese side of the railway as his father worked on that section.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A dam now in place on the Thai side of the line prevents the railway from being reconstructed in its entirety, he explains.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They recorded 10,549 graves on or near the railway in 144 cemeteries, failing to locate only 52 graves.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two years later, Death Metal Angola is readying for its premiere, and the railway film remains unfinished.
Death Metal Angola: Heavy Metal in War-Torn Africa|Nina Strochlic|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On his arrival at the local railway station he was met by his lordship in person.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Be that as it may, the Railway Clearing House, as a practical entity, came into being in 1842.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Four-wheeled railway carriages are, I was going to say, a thing of the past; but that is not so.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Eighteen hundred and fifty-one was a period of anxiety to the Midland and to railway companies generally.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for railway

railway

US railroad

/ (ˈreɪlˌweɪ) /

noun

a permanent track composed of a line of parallel metal rails fixed to sleepers, for transport of passengers and goods in trains

any track on which the wheels of a vehicle may runa cable railway

the entire equipment, rolling stock, buildings, property, and system of tracks used in such a transport system

the organization responsible for operating a railway network

(modifier) of, relating to, or used on a railway or railwaysa railway engine; a railway strike

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

railway

Origin of railway

OTHER WORDS FROM railway

Words nearby railway

Words related to railway

How to use railway in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for railway

US railroad