definitions

railway

[ reyl-wey ]
/ ˈreɪlˌweɪ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR railway ON THESAURUS.COM

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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RELATED WORDS

track, line

Nearby words

railroad flat, railroad pen, railroad worm, railroader, railroading, railway, railwayman, raiment, raimondi, rain, rain cats and dogs

Origin of railway

First recorded in 1770–80; rail1 + way1

Related forms

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

Examples from the Web for railway

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