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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
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
After his best-selling book was published, Northup became an active member of the abolitionist movement, giving speeches throughout the Northeast, staging plays based on his story and likely helping enslaved people on the Underground Railroad.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2025
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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 22 Jan. 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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Underground Railroad
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