rails 1 of 2

plural of rail
1
as in railings
a protective barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and its supports the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in roads
a roadway overlaid with parallel steel rails over which trains travel an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush

Synonyms & Similar Words

rails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rail

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rails
Noun
And there’s perhaps no better way to experience it than hopping on the rails for a ride through Colorado with the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026 That is where stablecoin rails will matter most for treasury, as settlement infrastructure beyond asset class. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 At this point, the movie veers off the rails a bit, culminating in a very bloody conclusion. ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Hope also confirmed that these inclement weather conditions will play an actual role in how the survival gameplay evolves over the course of the game, but for now the prologue keeps things mostly on-rails. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 The panels store within the roof rails when driving but expand at camp to deliver up to 600 watts of charging while doubling as an awning, saving space and weight as compared to separate awning and charging systems. New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026 Sexton went above and beyond not only to protect Kiffin over the years but to keep his career on the rails. John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026 Contributing factors to that could be a low number of axles, like with a solo locomotive, contaminants on the rails, or rust and other conditions that cause poor wheel-to-rail connections, according to the bulletin. Marni Pyke, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 The continuous rails bend so imperceptibly that passengers feel nothing more than a smooth, butter-like glide across the water. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rails
Noun
  • Some of those railings have been removed across various sections of the ground and replaced by additional seats, leading to an increase in capacity of around 500.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This set of minimalistic dusk-to-dawn deck lights is one of the simplest options to add lights around your railings, and more than 11,000 reviewers give them five stars.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • All roads lead to Doug Mason, who also admitted the coincidence was mutual.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Tens of thousands of amateurs follow suit, keen to ride the same roads.
    Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • And his ultimate war is with Bob, a tech CEO who rants about his haters and has gotten rich off rebranded snake oil and whose obvious corruption has been obscured by his self-mythologizing.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • One grumbles when the driver rants about development’s ravages.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Along the way, travelers pass dramatic mountain passes, historic railroads, old mining sites, and some of the most amazing scenery in the Rocky Mountains.
    Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The initiative, according to details shared first with Semafor, will allow state-level transportation agencies and railroads to lease out land alongside roads and tracks to private sector companies to develop new infrastructure.
    Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • At a time when a majority of the country disapproves of—or actively reviles—the president, his name alone could end up limiting the program’s success.
    Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Noun
  • Uganda then had a large population of Indian immigrants, who had been brought over by the British at the end of the nineteenth century to help construct railways, and who eventually established more economic autonomy and power than Black Ugandans.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • These have included arson, high-profile hacks, GPS jamming as well as sabotage actions against key infrastructure, including undersea communication cables, logistics centers and railways.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rails. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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