# railroad

Pronunciation: say "RAYL-rohd" US /ˈɹeɪlɹoʊd/, UK /ˈɹeɪlɹəʊd/

## Noun

1. The transportation system made up of fixed metal tracks and the trains that travel on them, usually several cars linked together. *(US)*
   - Simple: The system of trains and metal tracks used to move people and goods from place to place.
   - _The national railroad moves millions of tons of freight each year._
   - _Investors poured money into the railroad during the nineteenth century._
2. A permanent track made of fixed metal rails, built for trains or similar motorized vehicles to run on. *(Philippines, US)*
   - Simple: A set of fixed metal tracks that trains run along.
   - _Crews spent years building the railroad through the mountains._
   - _The old railroad still runs straight through the valley._
6. A single privately or publicly owned property made up of one or more train tracks and usually the assets that go with them. *(US)*
   - Simple: A company or property that owns and runs one or more train tracks and the things that go with them.
   - _The railroad reported record profits this quarter._
   - _Two competing railroads merged into a single firm._
11. A procedure pushed through in haste, without the consideration it should be given.
   - Simple: A decision or process rushed through without proper thought or care.
   - _The committee's vote was a railroad, rushed through before objections could be raised._
   - _What should have been a careful review turned into a railroad._

## Verb

3. To push a procedure, such as approving a law, through quickly by manipulation.
   - Simple: To rush a decision or law through quickly so people cannot stop it.
   - _The chairman railroaded the resolution through before opponents could organize._
   - _Party bosses railroad unpopular measures past the assembly when attention is low._
4. To convict someone of a crime by getting around fair legal process.
   - Simple: To find someone guilty of a crime unfairly, without a proper trial.
   - _The prosecutor railroaded the defendant despite the weak evidence._
   - _Corrupt courts railroad suspects to close cases quickly._
5. To transport people or goods using a railroad.
   - Simple: To carry goods or people somewhere by train.
   - _Workers railroad fresh produce across the country in refrigerated cars._
   - _The firm railroaded thousands of tons of ore to the smelter._
7. To bully someone, through procedure, into an unfair agreement.
   - Simple: To pressure someone into accepting an unfair deal.
   - _Management railroaded the workers into accepting reduced benefits._
   - _Aggressive negotiators railroad the other side into terms they later regret._
8. To be employed by a railroad.
   - Simple: To have a job working for a train company.
   - _She railroaded out of the eastern division for most of her career._
   - _Both brothers railroad and rarely see each other on the same shift._
9. To travel from place to place by railroad.
   - Simple: To go somewhere by train.
   - _They railroaded from coast to coast before air travel was common._
   - _Commuters railroad into the city every weekday morning._
10. To run and manage a railroad.
   - Simple: To run or manage a train system as a business.
   - _Several carriers railroad across the northern corridor._
   - _The family business railroaded here for over a century._
12. To force players along the dungeon master's predetermined plot instead of letting them improvise a different story.
   - Simple: In a role-playing game, to force players down a fixed story instead of letting them choose.
   - _Inexperienced dungeon masters often railroad their group toward a single ending._
   - _She felt railroaded the moment her character's choices stopped mattering._
13. To take part in a hobby that centers on railroads.
   - Simple: To enjoy trains as a hobby, like collecting or watching them.
   - _She has railroaded since childhood, photographing locomotives across the country._
   - _Enthusiasts railroad at the club's miniature layout every Sunday._
14. To run upholstery fabric horizontally rather than in the usual vertical direction.
   - Simple: To turn fabric sideways so its pattern runs across instead of up and down.
   - _They railroaded the velvet so the nap ran the width of the cushion._
   - _Wide-backed sofas often look cleaner when you railroad the fabric._

## Origin

Formed by combining the words "rail" and "road."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/railroad (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).