Phrase guide

light rail

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A kind of passenger railway in urban and suburban settings typically characterized by a mixture of tram (or in North America streetcar) and metro features, crossing streets at grade crossings and normally powered by electricity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, countable, uncountable

Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport

Examples

  • The new Denver light rail runs along the Interstate highway.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: heavy rail

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: ቀላል ባቡር (k’elali baburi) — type of passenger railway
  • Chinese Mandarin: 輕軌 /轻轨 (qīngguǐ) — type of passenger railway
  • Danish: letbane — type of passenger railway
  • Finnish: pikaraitiotie — type of passenger railway
  • French: métro léger — type of passenger railway
  • French: système léger sur rail — type of passenger railway
  • French: transit léger sur rail — type of passenger railway
  • French: train léger — type of passenger railway
  • German: Leichtbahn — type of passenger railway
  • Hebrew: רַכֶּבֶת קַלָּה (rakévet qalá) — type of passenger railway
  • Icelandic: léttlest — type of passenger railway
  • Italian: metropolitana leggera — type of passenger railway
  • Norwegian: lettbane — type of passenger railway
  • Polish: kolej miejska — type of passenger railway
  • Portuguese: trem ligeiro — type of passenger railway
  • Spanish: tren ligero — type of passenger railway
  • Swedish: lättbana — type of passenger railway
  • Vietnamese: đường sắt nhẹ — type of passenger railway