Railroad

Pronunciation

Origin

From rail + road.

Full definition of railroad

Noun

1. A permanent road 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. The transportation system comprising such roads and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.
3. A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such roads 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 or bullied in haste without due consideration.The lawyers made the procedure a railroad to get the signatures they needed.

Synonyms

• railway

Derived terms

• railroad flat
• railroad track

Verb

1. (transitive) To transport via railroad.
2. (intransitive) To operate a railroad.''The Thatcherite experiment proved the private sector can railroad as inefficiently as a state monopoly
3. (intransitive) To work for a railroad.
4. (intransitive) To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.
5. (transitive) To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.The majority railroaded the bill through parliament, without the customary expert studies which would delay it till after the elections.
6. (transitive) To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.They could only convict him by railroading him on suspect drug-possession charges.
7. (transitive) To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.He was railroaded into signing a non-disclosure agreement at his exit interview.
8. (role-playing games) To force characters to complete a task before allowing the plot to continue.

Derived terms

• railroader