Dictionary.com

railway

[ reyl-wey ]
/ ˈreɪlˌweɪ /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of railway

First recorded in 1770–80; rail1 + way1

OTHER WORDS FROM railway

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

How to use railway in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK