railway

noun

Simple meaning

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

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

raylway

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹeɪlweɪ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

chiefly UKIreland and Commonwealth
A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.
chiefly UKIrelandPhilippines and Commonwealth
A track, consisting of parallel rails, over which wheeled vehicles such as trains may travel.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

This meaning: (chiefly UK, Ireland and Commonwealth) A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.

Used this way, railway is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use railway

“The old railway line is now a scenic walking path.”

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

railway stationrailway linerailway systemrailway carriagerailway trackrailway companypacific railwaywestern railway

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

railway carnounCompound term
A wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad.
railway junctionnounCompound term
A junction where two or more railway lines meet or cross.
railway linenounCompound term
Line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight.
railway locomotivenounCompound term
A wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks.
railway mannounCompound term
An employee of a railroad.
railway stationnounCompound term
Terminal where trains load or unload passengers or goods.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: transport system using rails used to move passengers

railroadrailroad trackrailway line

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.