Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

railway

American  
[reyl-wey] / ˈreɪlˌweɪ /

noun

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

  2. a railroad, especially one operating over relatively short distances.

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

  4. Chiefly British. railroad.

railway British  
/ ˈreɪlˌweɪ /

noun

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

  2. any track on which the wheels of a vehicle may run

    a cable railway

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

  4. the organization responsible for operating a railway network

  5. (modifier) of, relating to, or used on a railway or railways

    a 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

Other Word Forms

  • interrailway adjective
  • prerailway adjective
  • railwayed adjective
  • railwayless adjective
  • unrailwayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of railway

First recorded in 1770–80; rail 1 + way 1

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.

Take for instance the San Bernardino Santa Fe smokestack, a towering 189-foot-tall structure from the 1920s that fueled the nearby railway power plant until 1994.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

A bridge near the holy city of Qom and another carrying a railway line in the central city of Kashan were struck, according to regional officials quoted by state media.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

News reports and visuals of crowded railway stations and bus terminals suggest the situation is similar in cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, where large numbers of migrant workers live and work.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Elsewhere on the railway, there will be a reduced service between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction due to the renewal of switches and crossings.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

All my pleasure in my first railway journey was lost over my worry about Hari.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

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.