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noun

metals

noun
1
The steel rails and track of a railway system, considered as a network.
"The old branch line’s metals were torn up decades ago."

How to Use Metals

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA somewhat old-fashioned railway term for the rail tracks themselves.

When to use it

This railway sense is mostly found in British usage and older or technical writing; day-to-day, "metals" is usually just the plural of the metal you’d find in a hardware store.

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The old branch line’s _____ were torn up decades ago.

Definitions: FreeDict original editorial