roadbed

[ rohd-bed ]

/ ˈroʊdˌbɛd /

noun

Railroads.

the bed or foundation structure for the track of a railroad.
the layer of ballast immediately beneath the ties of a railroad track.

the material of which a road is composed.

Nearby words

road-runner, road-show, road-test, road-train, roadability, roadbed, roadblock, roadeo, roadguard, roadholding, roadhouse

Origin of roadbed

1830–40. Americanism; road + bed

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

Examples from the Web for roadbed

Ralph was so dazed that he could barely collect wit and strength in an endeavor to crawl out of the roadbed.
Ralph, the Train Dispatcher|Allen Chapman
Engines were overhauled, rolling stock touched up, roadbed put in shape, everything shaken from end to end.
Held for Orders|Frank H. Spearman
There was no place but the bottom of the notch, and that was barely wide enough for the roadbed.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. II: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians|Ambrose Bierce
The roadbed was as smooth as glass, the rail set flush with it.
The Onslaught from Rigel|Fletcher Pratt

While most of the roadbed will be entirely new work, it will not be of heavy construction, the country being comparatively flat.
Third Biennial Report of the Oregon State Highway Commission|S. Benson, W. L. Thompson, R. A. Booth, Herbert Nunn

British Dictionary definitions for roadbed

roadbed

/ (ˈrəʊdˌbɛd) /

noun

the material used to make a road

a layer of ballast that supports the sleepers of a railway track

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