railing

noun

rail·​ing ˈrā-liŋ 

1

: a barrier consisting of a rail and supports

2

: rails

also : material for making rails

Synonyms

• balustrade
• banister
• bannister
• guardrail
• 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

Instead of occupying a large amount of space like round tables can, this half-circle style can be placed flush against railings, providing a convenient space for entertaining. —Ali Faccenda, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Photo : Brian Kitts A modern curving staircase with a steel railing holds court off to the side. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2025

Outdoor space: In classic Streamline Moderne style, the home’s top-floor patio was designed to evoke the bow of a ship, with metal railings and cover in the form of a roof overhang. —Angela Serratore, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

Whether the ball struck by Shohei Ohtani would have cleared the right-field wall at the Tokyo Dome if some fans hadn’t reached over the railing is immaterial. —Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 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