underground railroad

See also: Underground Railroad

English

Etymology

After the historical Underground Railroad in the United States.

Noun

underground railroad (plural underground railroads)

  1. (politics) A clandestine network used to exfiltrate dissidents out of their country.
    • 2023 February 14, Neil MacFarquhar, Alina Lobzina, “Secretive Network Rescues Russia’s Antiwar Dissidents in Nick of Time”, in The New York Times‎[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 24 February 2023:
      The trio quickly went underground, hiding in a friend’s house in their home city of Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, while seeking a way to escape the country and potentially lengthy prison sentences. That brought them to a group called In Transit, part of an extensive underground railroad that is rescuing hundreds of Russians who have been targeted for expressing opposition to the invasion of Ukraine or even sympathy for Ukrainian refugees.
    • 2025 September 25, Manohla Dargis, “‘One Battle After Another’ Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Rallying Cry”, in The New York Times‎[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 September 2025:
      The supporting players include Regina Hall as Deandra, one of the original French 75, and Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, a martial-arts instructor who helps run an underground railroad for migrants.

See also

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