railroad

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A road composed of parallel steel rails supported by ties and providing a track for locomotive-drawn trains or other wheeled vehicles.
2. n. A system of railroad track, together with the land, stations, rolling stock, and other related property under one management.
3. v. To transport by railroad.
4. v. To supply (an area) with railroads.
5. v. Informal To rush or push (something) through quickly in order to prevent careful consideration and possible criticism or obstruction: railroad a special-interest bill through Congress.
6. v. Informal To convict (an accused person) without a fair trial or on trumped-up charges.
7. v. To work for a railroad company.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A road upon which are laid one or more lines of rails to guide and facilitate the movement of vehicles designed to transport passengers or freight, cr both. [In this sense the words railroad and railway (which are of about equal age) are synonymous; but the former is more commonly (and preferably) used in the United States, the latter now universally in England. In both countries steam-railroads are called roads, seldom ways. For convenience, the subject of railroads, and the various compound words, are treated in this dictionary under railway.]
2. n. In the United states before the abolition of slavery, a secret arrangement for enabling slaves to escape Info tree territory, by passing them along from one point of concealment to another till they reached Canada or some other place of safety.
3. To hasten or push forward with railroad speed; expedite rushingly; rush: as, to railroad a bill through a legislature.
4. To build railroads through (a country).
5. To carry by railroads.
6. In printing, to mark with parallel lines.
7. To work on railroads; to be in the railroad business.
8. In printing, to overrun: indicated in proof-reading by parallel lines.

Wiktionary

1. n. A permanent road consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on.
2. n. The transportation system comprising such roads and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.
3. n. A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such roads and usually associated assets
4. n. figuratively A procedure conducted or bullied in haste without due consideration.
5. v. transitive To transport via railroad.
6. v. intransitive To operate a railroad.
7. v. intransitive To work for a railroad.
8. v. intransitive To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.
9. v. transitive To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.
10. v. transitive To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.
11. v. transitive To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A road or way consisting of one or more parallel series of iron or steel rails, patterned and adjusted to be tracks for the wheels of vehicles, and suitably supported on a bed or substructure.
2. n. The road, track, etc., with all the lands, buildings, rolling stock, franchises, etc., pertaining to them and constituting one property.
3. v. Colloq., U. S. To carry or send by railroad; usually fig., to send or put through at high speed or in great haste; to hurry or rush unduly.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. supply with railroad lines
2. n. line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
3. v. compel by coercion, threats, or crude means
4. n. a line of track providing a runway for wheels
5. v. transport by railroad