railway

noun

rail·​way ˈrāl-ˌwā How to pronounce railway (audio)
Synonyms of railwaynext
: railroad
especially : a railroad operating with light equipment or within a small area

Synonyms of railway

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of railway in a Sentence

a system of railways that crisscrosses the whole nation
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Bologna, the disorders led to the precautionary closure of the railway station. — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 In addition, a collection of works on the Ghanaian railway system will also be on display in the exhibition. — Gameli Hamelo, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The railway company is investing $20 million in the construction and operation of the facility and also donating four full-size freight cars. — Lauren Linder, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 John Henry, one of the most famous characters in American folklore, was in fact a Black man who died while part of a prison work gang excavating a railway tunnel in western Virginia in the early 1870s. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for railway

Word History

First Known Use

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of railway was in 1681

Phrases Containing railway

Rhymes for railway

See All Rhymes for railway

Browse Nearby Words

rail-water
railway
railwayac
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Railway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/railway. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on railway

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about railway

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All