railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier consisting of a rail and supports

2

: rails

also : material for making rails

Synonyms

• 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 daughter lost her balance and fell backwards off the railing into the ocean. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Take them outdoors, hang them over a railing, and whack them with a broom handle or similar tool. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2025

Station 113 races to rescue the man impaled by the railing atop the water tower that was built in the late 1800s and was expanded to four stories in the 1890s to accommodate fire-fighting water tanks. —Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2025

Six-foot glass railings and coral stone floors add the finishing touch. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025

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