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tramway

American  
[tram-wey] / ˈtræmˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a crude railroad of wooden rails or of wooden rails capped with metal treads.

  2. British. tramline.

  3. Mining. a track, usually elevated, or roadway for mine haulage.

  4. Also called cable tramway,.  Also called ropeway.  Also called aerial railway,.  Also called aerial tramway,.  a system for hauling passengers and freight in vehicles suspended from a cable or cables supported by a series of towers, hangers, or the like: used over canyons, between mountain peaks, etc.


tramway British  
/ ˈtræmˌweɪ /

noun

  1. another name for tramline

    1. a public transportation system using trams

    2. the company owning or running such a system

  2. Also called (esp US): tramroad.  a small or temporary railway for moving freight along tracks, as in a quarry

"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

Etymology

Origin of tramway

First recorded in 1815–25; tram 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.

See Examples For:

But it was Day and Hernández who stole the segment as emojis aerial tramway and heart, respectively, who joined to comment on Apple’s addition of eight new emojis.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 15, 2026

The accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Gloria tramway hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, shocked the Portuguese capital, laying bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction.

From Barron's Oct. 20, 2025

As cars took off, the tramway service closed.

From BBC Dec. 25, 2024

A tramway run by the Kinver Light Railway started in 1901, taking people from Amblecote, Dudley, into Kinver.

From BBC Dec. 25, 2024

It was a lovely day and we drove out through the park and out along the tramway and out of town where the road was dusty.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

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