the Underground Railroad
/ði ˌʌndəɡraʊnd ˈreɪlrəʊd/
/ði ˌʌndərɡraʊnd ˈreɪlrəʊd/
- a secret system used in the US before the Civil War for helping thousands of enslaved people to escape to the free northern states or Canada. The people trying to escape were called 'passengers', the people who helped them were 'conductors', and the safe houses used for hiding in along the way were called 'stations' .
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
the Underground Railroad