: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
Noun (1)
the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail
an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush Verb (2)
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Dornoch pulled off a major upset to take the first Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, hugging the rail and holding off Mindframe to win the Triple Crown finale at odds of 17-1.—CBS News, 8 June 2024 Some members of the board said they had not been briefed by the governor prior to the announcement and expressed confusion about how key projects, including signal upgrades and rail improvements, would now be funded.—Jake Offenhartz and Philip Marcelo, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024 California Allensworth, a onetime Black utopia, could rise again from the Central Valley dust
Feb. 20, 2023
After several years of growth, the town faltered and eventually emptied amid a water shortage, the loss of rail service and the death of Col. Allensworth in a traffic accident.—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024 Thanks to France’s extensive and efficient rail network, all of the following day trips are within easy reach, and all will make your trip to the City of Light even more memorable.—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 5 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for rail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English raile, from Anglo-French raille, reille bar, rule, from Latin regula straightedge, rule — more at rule
Noun (2)
Middle English raile, from Middle French raalle
Verb (2)
Middle English, from Middle French railler to mock, probably from Old French reillier to growl, mutter, from Vulgar Latin *ragulare to bray, from Late Latin ragere to neigh
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railernoun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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