Illustration of rail
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
a
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
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
railed; railing; rails
: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer
noun
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of rail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
As local leaders’ ambitions to host the Olympics took shape, so did plans to dramatically expand the region’s rail network in time for the Games.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City is one of the largest rail hubs in the nation.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Those events led to significant new rail safety changes—with real results, including a reduction in derailments.
—Pete Buttigieg, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Related article China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail.
—Reuters, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, attack surfaces (porch floors, deck rails) where dirt, leaves or other detritus have accumulated with a wet/dry vacuum or broom, followed by a wipe down with a wet rag or a rinse from the garden hose.
—Jennifer Barger, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The section of rail through south Orange County is part of the 351-mile rail corridor between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, touted as the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the nation.
—Laylan Connelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
While other major airports, including San Francisco International, accommodate public transit rail systems, Metro is about two miles short of the Los Angeles airport.
—Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
The following day, Trump railed against the gag order on his social media platform and criticized Merchan's daughter for a social media post that a court official said was not posted by her.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2024
Islamic State propaganda has railed against Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2015, sending bomber aircraft and helicopters to attack rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Others railed against Dolan's vote to increase the state gas tax and LaRose's past support of LGBTQ groups.
—USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Developers and gamers are pushing back, affirming that the kind of diversity these people rail against is here to stay.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024
Critics from the center and the right railed that, even as the country burned, Mélenchon hadn’t called for calm.
—Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
In his speech, the Russian leader once again railed against the West and accused it of trying to weaken his country.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Allies have in recent weeks been rattled by dire reports from the front line and worrying signals from the United States, where funding for Ukraine is stalled and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is once again railing against NATO.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
The dine-in restaurant now sits a short walk away from the light rail’s New Bern station and around the corner from the new Cookie Plug shop.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
As local leaders’ ambitions to host the Olympics took shape, so did plans to dramatically expand the region’s rail network in time for the Games.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Kansas City is one of the largest rail hubs in the nation.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Those events led to significant new rail safety changes—with real results, including a reduction in derailments.
—Pete Buttigieg, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Related article China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail.
—Reuters, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, attack surfaces (porch floors, deck rails) where dirt, leaves or other detritus have accumulated with a wet/dry vacuum or broom, followed by a wipe down with a wet rag or a rinse from the garden hose.
—Jennifer Barger, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The section of rail through south Orange County is part of the 351-mile rail corridor between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, touted as the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the nation.
—Laylan Connelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
While other major airports, including San Francisco International, accommodate public transit rail systems, Metro is about two miles short of the Los Angeles airport.
—Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan railed against the secular elite who had led the country to near economic collapse.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
The following day, Trump railed against the gag order on his social media platform and criticized Merchan's daughter for a social media post that a court official said was not posted by her.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2024
Islamic State propaganda has railed against Russian President Vladimir Putin since Moscow intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2015, sending bomber aircraft and helicopters to attack rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
—Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Others railed against Dolan's vote to increase the state gas tax and LaRose's past support of LGBTQ groups.
—USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Developers and gamers are pushing back, affirming that the kind of diversity these people rail against is here to stay.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024
Critics from the center and the right railed that, even as the country burned, Mélenchon hadn’t called for calm.
—Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
In his speech, the Russian leader once again railed against the West and accused it of trying to weaken his country.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Allies have in recent weeks been rattled by dire reports from the front line and worrying signals from the United States, where funding for Ukraine is stalled and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is once again railing against NATO.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 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
Phrases Containing rail
Dictionary Entries Near rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
rail
1 of 4 noun1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
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"
More from Merriam-Webster on rail
Nglish: Translation of rail for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of rail for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rail
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