Standard Lemma guide

railway

noun · 4 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈɹæɪlˌweɪ/
  • Scotland: /ˈɾelˌwe/
  • Wales: /ˈɾeilˌwei/ without the pane–pain merger
  • England, dialectal: /ˈɹælˌweɪ/
  • England, dialectal: [ˈræu̯ˌwɛj]
  • rhymes with -eɪlweɪ
  • CMU ARPABET: R EY1 L W EY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A track, consisting of parallel rails, over which wheeled vehicles such as trains may travel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, Philippines, UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a line of track providing a runway for wheels

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he walked along the railroad track

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: railroad track, railroad

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: track

Narrower terms: broad gauge, gantlet, narrow gauge, siding, railroad siding, turnout, sidetrack, standard gauge, switch

4

noun

Meaning 4

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: railroad, railroad line, railway line, railway system

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: line

Narrower terms: cable railway, funicular, funicular railway, cog railway, rack railway, elevated railway, elevated railroad, elevated, el, overhead railway, metro, tube, underground, subway system, subway, monorail, rail, scenic railway

History

Etymology

From rail + way.

Across languages

Translations

274 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: аиҳаамҩа (ajḥaamjwa) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ahtna: cʼetsiy tene — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Afrikaans: spoorweg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Arabic: سِكَّة حَدِيدِيَّة (sikka ḥadīdiyya) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Arabic: سِكَّة الْحَدِيد (sikkat al-ḥadīd) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Armenian: երկաթուղի (erkatʻuġi) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Azerbaijani: dəmiryol — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Basque: trenbide — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Belarusian: каляя́ (kaljajá) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Belarusian: чыгу́начны пуць (čyhúnačny pucʹ) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Bulgarian: железопъ́тна ли́ния (železopǎ́tna línija) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Bulgarian: ре́лсов път (rélsov pǎt) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Catalan: ferrocarril — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chechen: эчиг некъ (ečig neqʼ) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Cherokee: ᏔᎷᎩᏍᎩ ᏅᏃᎯ (talugisgi nvnohi) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鐵路 /铁路 (tit3 lou6) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese Cantonese: 火車路 /火车路 (fo2 ce1 lou6) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hakka Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 (thiet-lu) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hakka Chinese: 火車路 /火车路 (fó-chhâ-lu) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese: 鐵枝路 /铁枝路 (zh-min-nan) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵路 /铁路 (tiělù) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵道 /铁道 (tiědào) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火車道 /火车道 (huǒchēdào) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Northern Min Chinese: 火車墿 /火车𰉣 (hǒ-chiá-diō̤) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Northern Min Chinese: 鐵墿 /铁𰉣 (tiĕ-diō̤) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Wu Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Czech: kolej — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Czech: železnice — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Czech: trať — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Danish: jernbane — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Dutch: spoorweg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Dutch: ijzerenweg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Dutch: ijzerbaan — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Esperanto: fervojo — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Estonian: raudtee — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Farefare: zirgabãŋa — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Faroese: jarnbreyt — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Finnish: rata — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Finnish: junarata — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Finnish: rautatie — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • French: chemin de fer — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • French: réseau ferroviaire — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • French: voie ferrée — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • North Frisian: Iirsenbaan — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • West-Frisian: spoarwei — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Galician: vía férrea — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Galician: camiño de ferro — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Georgian: ლიანდაგი (liandagi) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • German: Eisenbahnlinie — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • German: Gleis — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Greek: σιδηρόδρομος (sidiródromos) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hawaiian: alahao — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hebrew: מְסִלַּת בַּרְזֶל (m'silát barzél) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hungarian: sín — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hungarian: vasút — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Hungarian: vasútvonal — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Icelandic: járnbraut — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Icelandic: lestarspor — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Icelandic: járnbani — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Icelandic: járngata — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Indonesian: rel — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Indonesian: rel kereta — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Indonesian: jalan rel — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ingrian: rautatee — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Interlingua: ferrovia — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Irish: bóthar iarainn — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Irish: iarnród — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Italian: binario — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Italian: rotaia — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Italian: strada ferrata — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Italian: ferrovia — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Japanese: 線路 (senro) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Korean: 철도 (cheoldo) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Korean: 선로 (seollo) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Latvian: dzelzceļš — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Macedonian: пру́га (prúga) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Macedonian: желе́зница (želéznica) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Malay: jalur kereta api — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Manchu: ᠰᡝᠯᡝᡳ ᠵᡠᡤᡡᠨ (selei jugūn) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Māori: rerewē — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Māori: ara rerewē — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Maranao: rilis — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Eastern Mari: кӱртньыгорно (kürtńygorno) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Mongolian: төмөр зам (tömör zam) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Navajo: béésh bitiin — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Navajo: kǫʼ naʼałbąąsii bitiin — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Norman: c'mîn d'fé — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Norwegian Bokmål: jernbane — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: jernbane — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: jarnbane — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Plautdietsch: Bon — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Plautdietsch: Iesabon — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Polish: kolej — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Polish: linia kolejowa — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Portuguese: ferrovia — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Portuguese: via-férrea — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Portuguese: caminho de ferro — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Portuguese: estrada de ferro — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Romanian: cale ferată — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Romanian: rețea feroviară — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Russian: желе́зная доро́га (želéznaja doróga) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Russian: колея́ (kolejá) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Russian: железнодоро́жный путь (železnodoróžnyj putʹ) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Scottish Gaelic: rathad-iarainn — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: pruga — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: жѐлезница — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: жѐљезница — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: žèleznica — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: žèljeznica — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Slovak: železnica — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Slovak: koľaj — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Slovak: trať — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Spanish: vía férrea — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Spanish: ferrocarril — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Spanish: línea férrea — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Spanish: carril ferroviario — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Spanish: carril ferrovial — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Sranan Tongo: lokopasi — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Swedish: järnväg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Swedish: järnvägsspår — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Swedish: räls — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Tagalog: perokaril — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Tagalog: daang-bakal — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Lower Tanana: noghelbedhi tene — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Tibetan: ལྕགས་ལམ (lcags lam) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Turkish: demir yolu — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Turkish: şimendifer — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ottoman Turkish: دمیر یولی (demir yolu) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ottoman Turkish: شمندوفر (şimendifer) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ukrainian: ко́лія (kólija) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Ukrainian: залізни́чна ко́лія (zaliznýčna kólija) — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Vietnamese: đường sắt — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Vilamovian: ban — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Volapük: trenaveg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Volapük: ferodarutaveg — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Welsh: rheilffordd — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Yoruba: ọ̀nà ojú irin — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Yoruba: rélùwéè — track, consisting of parallel rails
  • Abkhaz: аиҳаамҩа (ajḥaamjwa) — transport system using these rails
  • Albanian: hekurudhë — transport system using these rails
  • Southern Altai: темир јол (temir ǰol) — transport system using these rails
  • Arabic: سِكَّة حَدِيدِيَّة (sikka ḥadīdiyya) — transport system using these rails
  • Arabic: سِكَّة حَدِيد (sikkat ḥadīd) — transport system using these rails
  • Arabic: سكة حديد (sikkat ḥadīd) — transport system using these rails
  • Armenian: երկաթուղի (erkatʻuġi) — transport system using these rails
  • Azerbaijani: dəmir yolu — transport system using these rails
  • Basque: burdinbide — transport system using these rails
  • Belarusian: жале́зная даро́га (žaljéznaja daróha) — transport system using these rails
  • Belarusian: чыгу́нка (čyhúnka) — transport system using these rails
  • Bengali: রেলপথ (relpoth) — transport system using these rails
  • Bulgarian: желе́зница (želéznica) — transport system using these rails
  • Burmese: သံလမ်း (samlam:) — transport system using these rails
  • Burmese: မီးရထား (mi:ra.hta:) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鐵路 /铁路 (tit3 lou6) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese Cantonese: 火車路 /火车路 (fo2 ce1 lou6) — transport system using these rails
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 (tiék-diô / tiék-lô) — transport system using these rails
  • Eastern Min Chinese: 鐵墿 /铁𰉣 (tiék-diô) — transport system using these rails
  • Gan Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 (tiet6 lu5) — transport system using these rails
  • Hakka Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 (thiet-lu) — transport system using these rails
  • Hakka Chinese: 火車路 /火车路 (fó-chhâ-lu) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese: 鐵枝路 /铁枝路 (zh-min-nan) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese: 鐵道 /铁道 (zh-min-nan) — transport system using these rails
  • Jin Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 (tieh4 lou3) — transport system using these rails
  • Jin Chinese: 鐵道 /铁道 (tieh4 dau3) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵路 /铁路 (tiělù) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鐵道 /铁道 (tiědào) — transport system using these rails
  • Chinese Mandarin: 火車道 /火车道 (huǒchēdào) — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Min Chinese: 火車墿 /火车𰉣 (hǒ-chiá-diō̤) — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Min Chinese: 鐵墿 /铁𰉣 (tiĕ-diō̤) — transport system using these rails
  • Wu Chinese: 鐵路 /铁路 — transport system using these rails
  • Crimean Tatar: demiryol — transport system using these rails
  • Czech: železnice — transport system using these rails
  • Danish: jernbane — transport system using these rails
  • Dutch: spoorwegen — transport system using these rails
  • Esperanto: fervojo — transport system using these rails
  • Estonian: raudtee — transport system using these rails
  • Farefare: zirgabãŋa — transport system using these rails
  • Finnish: rautatie — transport system using these rails
  • Finnish: rautatiet — transport system using these rails
  • French: chemin de fer — transport system using these rails
  • West-Frisian: spoarwei — transport system using these rails
  • Galician: ferrocarril — transport system using these rails
  • Georgian: რკინიგზა (rḳinigza) — transport system using these rails
  • German: Eisenbahn — transport system using these rails
  • German: Bahn — transport system using these rails
  • Greek: σιδηρόδρομος (sidiródromos) — transport system using these rails
  • Hawaiian: alahao — transport system using these rails
  • Hebrew: מְסִלַּת בַּרְזֶל (m'silát barzél) — transport system using these rails
  • Hebrew: מסילת רכבת (m'silát rakévet) — transport system using these rails
  • Hindi: रेलवे (relve) — transport system using these rails
  • Hungarian: vasút — transport system using these rails
  • Icelandic: járnbraut — transport system using these rails
  • Indonesian: jalur kereta api — transport system using these rails
  • Indonesian: perkeretaapian — transport system using these rails
  • Ingrian: rautatee — transport system using these rails
  • Irish: iarnród — transport system using these rails
  • Italian: ferrovia — transport system using these rails
  • Japanese: 鉄道 (tetsudō) — transport system using these rails
  • Javanese: sepur — transport system using these rails
  • Kazakh: темір жол (temır jol) — transport system using these rails
  • Khmer: ផ្លូវដែក (phləw daek) — transport system using these rails
  • Khmer: អយបថ (ʼaʼyĕəʼbɑt) — transport system using these rails
  • Khmer: អយស្ម័យយាន (ʼaʼyahsmayyiən) — transport system using these rails
  • Korean: 철도 (cheoldo) — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Kurdish: rêasin — transport system using these rails
  • Kyrgyz: темир жол (temir jol) — transport system using these rails
  • Lao: ທາງລົດໄຟ (thāng lot fai) — transport system using these rails
  • Lao: ລົດໄຟ (lot fai) — transport system using these rails
  • Latin: ferrivia — transport system using these rails
  • Latvian: dzelzceļš — transport system using these rails
  • Lithuanian: geležinkelis — transport system using these rails
  • Luxembourgish: Eisebunn — transport system using these rails
  • Macedonian: желе́зница (želéznica) — transport system using these rails
  • Malay: jalur kereta api — transport system using these rails
  • Manchu: ᠰᡝᠯᡝᡳ ᠵᡠᡤᡡᠨ (selei jugūn) — transport system using these rails
  • Māori: rerewē — transport system using these rails
  • Mongolian: төмөр зам (tömör zam) — transport system using these rails
  • Mongolian: ᠲᠡᠮᠦᠷ ᠵᠠᠮ (temür ǰam) — transport system using these rails
  • Navajo: béésh ńtʼiʼ — transport system using these rails
  • Navajo: béésh bitiin — transport system using these rails
  • Norman: c'mîn d'fé — transport system using these rails
  • Norwegian Bokmål: jernbane — transport system using these rails
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: jarnbane — transport system using these rails
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: jernbane — transport system using these rails
  • Ossetian: ӕфсӕнвӕндаг (æfsænvændag) — transport system using these rails
  • Pannonian Rusyn: желєзнїца (željeznjica) — transport system using these rails
  • Pashto: اوسپنليکه (ospənlika) — transport system using these rails
  • Pashto: خط آهن (xte āhan) — transport system using these rails
  • Dari: رَاهآهَن (rāh-āhan) — transport system using these rails
  • Dari: رِیل (rīl) — transport system using these rails
  • Iranian Persian: راهآهَن (râh-âhan) — transport system using these rails
  • Polish: kolej — transport system using these rails
  • Polish: kolej żelazna — transport system using these rails
  • Portuguese: ferrovia — transport system using these rails
  • Romanian: căi ferate — transport system using these rails
  • Russian: желе́зная доро́га (želéznaja doróga) — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Sami: ruovdemáđii — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Sami: ruovdegeaidnu — transport system using these rails
  • Northern Sami: ruovdeluodda — transport system using these rails
  • Scottish Gaelic: rèile — transport system using these rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: жѐлезница — transport system using these rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: жѐљезница — transport system using these rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: žèleznica — transport system using these rails
  • Serbo-Croatian: žèljeznica — transport system using these rails
  • Slovak: železnica — transport system using these rails
  • Slovak: železničná trať — transport system using these rails
  • Slovene: železniško — transport system using these rails
  • Lower Sorbian: zeleznica — transport system using these rails
  • Spanish: ferrocarril — transport system using these rails
  • Sranan Tongo: lokopasi — transport system using these rails
  • Swedish: järnväg — transport system using these rails
  • Tagalog: daang-bakal — transport system using these rails
  • Tajik: роҳи оҳан (roh-i ohan) — transport system using these rails
  • Tajik: роҳ оҳан (roh ohan) — transport system using these rails
  • Tatar: тимер юл (timer yul) — transport system using these rails
  • Telugu: రైల్వే (railvē) — transport system using these rails
  • Thai: การรถไฟ (gaan-rót-fai) — transport system using these rails
  • Thai: รถไฟ (rót-fai) — transport system using these rails
  • Tibetan: ལྕགས་ལམ (lcags lam) — transport system using these rails
  • Turkish: demir yolu — transport system using these rails
  • Turkish: şimendifer — transport system using these rails
  • Turkmen: demir ýoly — transport system using these rails
  • Ukrainian: залізни́ця (zaliznýcja) — transport system using these rails
  • Urdu: ریلْوے (relve) — transport system using these rails
  • Urdu: راہ آہَن (rāh āhan) — transport system using these rails
  • Urdu: راہِ آہَن (rāh-i āhan) — transport system using these rails
  • Uyghur: تۆمۈر يول (tömür yol) — transport system using these rails
  • Uzbek: temir yoʻl — transport system using these rails
  • Vietnamese: đường sắt — transport system using these rails
  • Vietnamese: đường ray — transport system using these rails
  • Welsh: rheilffordd — transport system using these rails
  • Yakut: тимир суол (timir suol) — transport system using these rails
  • Yiddish: אײַזנבאַן (ayznban) — transport system using these rails
  • Yoruba: rélùwéè — transport system using these rails
Real reading context

railway in complete knowledge articles