rail

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a bar extending from one post or support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
: a structural member or support
2
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
3
a
: a bar of rolled steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b
: track
c

rail

2 of 4

verb (1)

railed; railing; rails

transitive verb

: to provide with a railing : fence

rail

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural rail or rails
: 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

Illustration of rail

Illustration of rail

rail

4 of 4

verb (2)

railed; railing; rails

intransitive verb

: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for rail

scold, upbraid, berate, rail, revile, vituperate mean to reproach angrily and abusively.

scold implies rebuking in irritation or ill temper justly or unjustly.

angrily scolding the children

upbraid implies censuring on definite and usually justifiable grounds.

upbraided her assistants for poor research

berate suggests prolonged and often abusive scolding.

berated continually by an overbearing boss

rail (at or against) stresses an unrestrained berating.

railed loudly at their insolence

revile implies a scurrilous, abusive attack prompted by anger or hatred.

an alleged killer reviled in the press

vituperate suggests a violent reviling.

was vituperated for betraying his friends

Examples of rail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Students and activists, public-transit operators, custodial staff, medics, mechanics, teachers, oil-rig workers, writers and celebrities all gathered to rail against Macron’s plan to raise the national retirement age by two years, to 64. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Erosion in the area has interrupted train service several times in the past three years, and officials are still considering plans to improve movement across the rail system. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The rails there are near sea level, traveling along the beach below steep, unstable bluffs topped by development. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 The rail company first launched in 2018 with service between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, but has since expanded, adding service to Aventura and Boca Raton in addition to Orlando. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 In addition to riding atop rail cars, train surfing is usually defined to include riding between them. Joe Heim, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Three major rail unions have jumped into the fight over Norfolk Southern and urged investors to back Shaw's strategy and his efforts to improve safety ever since the Ohio derailment. Josh Funk, Quartz, 1 Mar. 2024 Widespread strikes in Greece disrupted transport services Wednesday, halting ferries and trains, in protests timed to coincide with the anniversary of a deadly rail crash a year ago. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 The state’s economic growth, which clocked in at a strong 5.7% rate in the third quarter of last year, was driven largely by two sectors: advanced manufacturing (automotive, tire and aerospace industries); retail and distribution (warehousing, ports and rail). Tami Luhby, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
The small group of frustrated senators also pales in comparison with the fury in the House, where hard-right members railed against House Speaker Mike Johnson for not threatening a partial government shutdown over GOP policy priorities. USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Then Paules took a reciprocating saw to an outdoor metal railing to allow for an easier exit. Joe Heim, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 In the Senate, a group of Republicans opposed to the foreign aid kept the chamber open all night to rail against it before the final vote. Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 24 Feb. 2024 The demonstrations called by Mexico’s opposition parties advocated for free and fair elections in the Latin American nation and railed against corruption the same day presidential front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum registered as a candidate for ruling party Morena. Amaranta Marentes, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2024 In December, a Russian minister railed against restrictions that Interpol has placed on the country. Jane Bradley, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The Wednesday mass shooting in Kansas City, which killed one person and injured more than 20, has sparked fury from Missouri Democrats and gun control advocates who have for years railed against the state’s lax approach to firearms. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2024 For years, Trump has railed against early voting and ballot harvesting as tools of election rigging. Olivia Rinaldi, CBS News, 20 Feb. 2024 Approximately 90,000 people turned out to rail against the leader, according to government figures. Amaranta Marentes, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2024

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rail was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rail

Cite this Entry

“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rail

1 of 4 noun
1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
2
a
: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b

rail

2 of 4 verb
: to provide with a railing

rail

3 of 4 noun
plural rails or rail
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes

rail

4 of 4 verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railer noun
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"

More from Merriam-Webster on rail

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!