roadbed

noun

road·​bed ˈrōd-ˌbed How to pronounce roadbed (audio)
1
a
: the bed on which the ties, rails, and ballast of a railroad rest
b
: the ballast or the upper surface of the ballast on which the ties rest
2
a
: the earth foundation of a road prepared for surfacing
b
: the part of the surface of a road traveled by vehicles

Examples of roadbed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Driving almost blind at high speed, Bob Markle was unable to avoid a frost heave in the roadbed. — Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026 An unidentified man approached the victim, picked him up and threw him onto the roadbed, police said. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026 Vacuum-cars that suck up debris from the roadbed are also pushed by diesel locomotives. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026 Above ground, the project will feature more than three miles of sidewalks and trails and the planting of 30,000 new trees and shrubs. More than 30,000 tons of asphalt from the old roadbed were recycled to build the new one, the city says. — John Aguilar, Denver Post, 5 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roadbed

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of roadbed was in 1828

Rhymes for roadbed

See All Rhymes for roadbed

Browse Nearby Words

road band
roadbed
roadblock
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roadbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roadbed. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

roadbed

noun
road·​bed -ˌbed How to pronounce roadbed (audio)
1
: the foundation of a road or railroad
2
: the part of the surface of a road that vehicles travel on

More from Merriam-Webster on roadbed

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about roadbed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All