rail

1 of 3

verb (1)

railed; railing; rails

transitive verb

: to provide with a railing : fence

rail

2 of 3

noun

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

rail

3 of 3

verb (2)

railed; railing; rails

intransitive verb

: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language

railer noun

Synonyms of rail

Verb (2)

• scold
• lecture
• reprimand
• call down
• dress down
• bawl out
• read the riot act (to)
• blame
• chew out

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

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

Verb

The mezzanine’s railing alternates plain bronze spindles with miniature art deco skyscrapers. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 June 2026

In 2024, when interviewed by Artnet, Teresa Dodge railed at news reports about repatriation efforts that don’t offer clarity on what is legal to sell. —Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026

Noun

With an exterior that looks more like a circular UFO, the structure is a departure from the rail-carriage design common among many American diners. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026

And these payment systems ride rails already clearing at huge scale. —Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rail

• altar rail
• chair rail
• clapper rail
• commuter rail
• fife rail
• light-rail
• night rail
• passenger rail
• plate rail
• rail-splitter
• split rail
• third rail
• towel rail
• Virginia rail

Rhymes for rail

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

rail

1 of 4 noun

ˈrā(ə)l 

1

a

: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier

b

: railing sense 1

2

a

: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles

b

: railroad

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"