railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier consisting of a rail and supports

2

: rails

also : material for making rails

Synonyms of railing

• rail

Examples of railing in a Sentence

He leaned on the deck's railing and watched the sun set.

they had to put a childproof railing on the balcony when the baby started walking

Recent Examples on the Web

The stands were dotted with an abnormal amount of gold and purple as Lakers fans crowded the railing for a glimpse at their favorite out-of-town players. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026

Designed for apartments and homes with limited space, balcony systems feature one or two photovoltaic panels that mount on railings or walls and plug into a standard household electrical outlet. —Calvin Ball, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026

Its back end was propped on the 3-foot-tall metal railing of the boarding platform. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026

Regina stood in front of the window overlooking the void that plunged down to the courtyard below, beyond the balcony railing. —Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for railing

• ailing
• bailing
• baling
• failing
• flailing
• grayling
• hailing
• jailing
• mailing
• nailing
• paling
• sailing

Kids Definition

railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier (as a fence) consisting of rails and their supports

2

: material for rails