railroad

English Online Dictionary. What means railroad‎? What does railroad mean?

English

Etymology

From rail +‎ road. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “figurative usage?”)

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹeɪlɹoʊd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹeɪlɹəʊd/
• Rhymes: -eɪlɹoʊd, -eɪlɹəʊd
• Hyphenation: rail‧road

Noun

railroad (plural railroads)

1. (chiefly US) A permanent track consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on.

   Many railroads roughly follow the trace of older land - and/or water roads

2. (chiefly US) The transportation system comprising such tracks and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.
3. (chiefly US) A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such tracks and usually associated assets

   Railroads can only compete fully if their tracks are technically compatible with and linked to each-other

4. (figuratively) A procedure conducted in haste without due consideration.

   The lawyers made the procedure a railroad to get the signatures they needed.

Synonyms

• railway (Britain, Ireland and Commonwealth of Nations)

Derived terms

Descendants

• Jersey Dutch: railroad

Translations

Verb

railroad (third-person singular simple present railroads, present participle railroading, simple past and past participle railroaded)

1. (transitive) To transport via railroad.
2. (intransitive) To operate a railroad.

3. (intransitive) To work for a railroad.
4. (intransitive) To travel by railroad.
5. (intransitive) To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.
6. (transitive) To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.
7. (transitive) To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.
8. (transitive) To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.
9. (role-playing games) To force characters to complete a task before allowing the plot to continue.
10. (upholstery) To run fabric horizontally instead of the usual vertically.

Derived terms

• railroader

Translations

Anagrams

• road-rail