railroad
gb/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd/ us/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd/
B1
Englisch
~ 6800
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
Nomen
B1
entity
1
system of trains and tracks
A way of moving people or things using trains that run on metal tracks.
Verwendungsmuster:
to build a railroad across [a place]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners often confuse "railroad" (more common in American English) with "railway" (more common in British English). Both are correct, but you should choose the one that matches the variety of English you are learning. Some learners also say *"train road"*, which is not natural; the correct word is "railroad" or "railway".
Synonyme
railway (More common in British English; meaning is the same.)
|
rail system (More technical or formal; emphasizes the whole network and operation.)
Antonyme
highway (Refers to a major road for cars and trucks, the main alternative land transport system.)
|
airline (Refers to transport by planes, contrasting with ground rail transport.)
Wortverbindungen
build a railroad
|railroad tracks
|railroad station
|railroad network
|ride the railroad
|railroad bridge
Themen
transport
|travel
|infrastructure
|transportation
Beispiele
- The new high-speed railroad will connect the two cities in under an hour.
- Most small towns along the route grew up after the railroad was built.
- Freight trains on this railroad carry coal across the country.
- The government is investing heavily in the national railroad.
- We crossed the valley on a long bridge that belongs to the main railroad.
Beispiele für Lernende
- They are building a new railroad between the cities.
- Many people take the railroad to work every day.
- This town became big after the railroad came here.
- The railroad is faster than the bus on this trip.
- A long train is moving on the railroad tracks.
Verb
C1
action
2
force a decision through
To push a plan, rule, or decision through very fast by using power and not letting people talk or say no.
Verwendungsmuster:
to railroad [something] through [a group or organization]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes think this verb means simply "to do something quickly". It almost always includes a negative idea: doing it quickly by ignoring normal rules or other people's opinions. Also, it is usually used with an object, as in "railroad a bill through", not *"railroad through"* by itself in formal writing.
Synonyme
force through (Very close in meaning; slightly more neutral, without the strong suggestion of unfairness that "railroad" has.)
|
steamroll (Informal; suggests crushing or ignoring opposition even more aggressively than "railroad".)
Antonyme
debate (Focuses on open discussion and consideration, the opposite of pushing something through without proper talk.)
|
deliberate (Means to think and discuss carefully before deciding, the opposite of acting too fast and forcefully.)
Wortverbindungen
railroad a bill through
|railroad through Congress
|railroad the plan through
|railroad the proposal through
|railroad a measure through
|railroad the deal through
Themen
politics
|law
|conflict
Beispiele
- The majority party tried to railroad the bill through the legislature before anyone could read it.
- Shareholders accused management of railroading the merger through without proper consultation.
- They used procedural tricks to railroad the new rules through the committee.
- Critics say the city council is railroading this development project through despite local objections.
- The chair refused to railroad the motion through and insisted on a full debate.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The leaders tried to railroad the law through very fast.
- He felt they were railroading the plan through without listening to workers.
- The company cannot just railroad these changes through.
- They used their power to railroad the proposal through the board.
- Some members said the boss was railroading the decision through.
Verb
C1
action
3
push someone unfairly or dishonestly
To treat a person very unfairly by pushing them into jail, into court, or into saying yes when they do not really agree.
Verwendungsmuster:
to railroad [someone] into [doing something]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may confuse this with simply "to persuade". "Railroad" suggests strong, often unfair pressure or a process that is not honest, especially in legal situations. It is often used in the passive form: "be railroaded into…" or "was railroaded by…".
Synonyme
coerce (More formal and general; focuses on pressure, without automatically implying a legal process.)
|
frame (Focuses specifically on making someone look guilty of a crime they did not commit; stronger than "railroad" in the criminal sense.)
Antonyme
acquit (Legal opposite in the courtroom context: to officially decide that someone is not guilty.)
Wortverbindungen
railroad someone into prison
|railroad someone into signing
|be railroaded into doing something
|railroad an innocent man
|feel railroaded
|railroaded by the system
Themen
law
|conflict
|society
Beispiele
- He believes he was railroaded into prison after a rushed trial and weak evidence.
- The union members said they were railroaded into accepting the new contract.
- Years later, documents showed that several protesters had been railroaded by corrupt officials.
- She refused to be railroaded into resigning and demanded a proper investigation.
- The documentary follows a man who was railroaded by the justice system in the 1980s.
Beispiele für Lernende
- He says the court railroaded him into jail.
- The workers felt railroaded into signing the paper.
- She did not want to be railroaded into saying yes.
- The man was railroaded by a unfair judge.
- They were railroaded into a quick agreement.
Nomen
B2
entity
4
railroad company or line
One rail company or one rail line that runs trains on its own tracks.
Verwendungsmuster:
to work for a railroad
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes do not realize that "a railroad" can mean a company, not just the physical tracks. Context usually shows the meaning: "work for the railroad" is about a company, while "cross the railroad" is about tracks.
Synonyme
railway company (Slightly more formal; more common in British English.)
|
rail line (Focuses on the route rather than the company as an organization.)
Antonyme
airline (A transport company using planes instead of trains.)
|
shipping line (A company that moves goods by ship, contrasting with rail transport companies.)
Wortverbindungen
freight railroad
|passenger railroad
|short-line railroad
|major railroad
|regional railroad
|work for the railroad
Themen
business
|transport
|transportation
Beispiele
- He got a job with a regional freight railroad in the Midwest.
- Several small railroads merged to form a single national carrier.
- The railroad announced plans to upgrade its tracks and locomotives.
- This short-line railroad connects local factories to the main network.
- The town was founded when the first big railroad came through the area.
Beispiele für Lernende
- Her grandfather worked for a big railroad.
- The railroad closed this line last year.
- Two small railroads joined to make one company.
- This railroad only carries freight, not people.
- A new railroad will run trains to our city.
Nomen
B2
entity
5
railroad industry or sector
All the railroad companies and workers together, seen as one business area.
Verwendungsmuster:
to work in the railroad
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may not notice when "the railroad" refers to the industry as a whole, not just the tracks or a single company. Clues include words like "industry", "workers", "history", or economic context.
Synonyme
rail industry (Slightly more formal; often used in reports and technical writing.)
|
railway sector (More formal and more common in British English.)
Antonyme
aviation industry (Another major transport industry, based on air travel instead of rail.)
|
trucking industry (Competing land-transport industry that uses trucks and roads instead of trains.)
Wortverbindungen
the railroad industry
|work in the railroad
|railroad workers
|railroad unions
|history of the railroad
|the age of the railroad
Themen
business
|economy
|transport
|transportation
Beispiele
- The railroad played a central role in the country’s industrial growth.
- Many small towns depended on the railroad for jobs and trade.
- New safety rules will affect the entire railroad industry.
- As cars became more popular, the railroad began to lose passengers.
- The museum tells the story of the railroad in the early twentieth century.
Beispiele für Lernende
- The railroad was very important in the past.
- Many people in this city work in the railroad.
- The government wants to help the railroad with new money.
- The book is about the history of the railroad.
- The railroad must follow new safety rules.
Grammatik
Grundform
railroad
IPA
GB/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd/
US/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd/
Silben & Betonung
rail - road (2 Silben)
Stress on 1st syllable (rail)
Wortformen
Noun
- Base: railroad
- Plural: railroads
Verb
- Base: railroad
- 3rd Person Singular: railroads
- Present Participle: railroading
- Past: railroaded
Wortfamilie
Ausdrücke
railroad into
1/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
pressure someone into something unfairly
To push a person to do something or say yes by using strong pressure that is not fair.
Beispiele
- She felt she had been railroaded into signing the agreement.
- The workers said they were railroaded into taking the new shift schedule.
- He refused to be railroaded into admitting something he hadn’t done.
railroad through
1/ɹˈeɪlɹˌoʊd θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
force a measure through quickly
To make a plan, law, or decision pass very fast by using power and not allowing normal talk or questions.
Beispiele
- The majority used its power to railroad the budget through before the deadline.
- Opponents accused the committee of trying to railroad through major changes without public input.
- He warned that they would not allow management to railroad through the new policy.