Underground Railroad

noun

variants or less commonly Underground Railway
: a system of cooperation among active antislavery people in the U.S. before 1863 by which people escaping enslavement were secretly helped to reach the North or Canada

Examples of Underground Railroad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And in the 1800s, churches served as vital links in the Underground Railroad that helped enslaved people elude authorities and migrate to free states. Bill Chappell, NPR, 26 Jan. 2025 In the Black quilting community, Underground Railroad quilts are extremely significant as, historically, they are tied to codes/means of communication. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025 Diemer explores the life of one of the few people who actually worked, as opposed to volunteered, for the Underground Railroad. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 10 Jan. 2025 Around that same time, Priscilla Baltimore and Bishop William Paul Quinn, an African Methodist Episcopal missionary, established the town’s AME church, which along with a Baptist church and a number of homes, served as stops in the Underground Railroad. Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for Underground Railroad 

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Underground Railroad was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near Underground Railroad

Cite this Entry

“Underground Railroad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Underground%20Railroad. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

Underground Railroad

noun
: a system of cooperation among active antislavery people in the U.S. before 1863 by which people escaping enslavement were secretly helped to reach the North or Canada

More from Merriam-Webster on Underground Railroad

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