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
But that didn’t prevent enormous gatherings outside of the Midtown guard rails — and in practically every other neighborhood beyond there, too. Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026 While most Coloradans have traded ski boots for hiking shoes, a dedicated group of skiers and snowboarders is still carving turns and hitting rails at the Copper Mountain hike park. Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 14 June 2026 Pool rails, hot tub steps, and lounge chairs are constantly touched by wet hands and bare feet throughout the day, especially on sea days when the pool deck becomes the ship’s social hub. Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026 The four rails serve as the basis of a flexible multi-position lounge space, securing in a two-seat bench that can slide all the way back close to the dual tailgate doors or farther forward, closer to the central wet bathroom and kitchen block. New Atlas, 12 June 2026 While crime on public transit is rare, a recent Charlotte Observer investigation finding violent incidents were more likely to occur on buses rather than light rails, and detailed attacks on bus drivers. Dj Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026 That question is not academic, and the people building the rails know it. Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 And these payment systems ride rails already clearing at huge scale. Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 7 June 2026 So, the team factored in things like uneven rails, warped tables, inconsistent rebounds, power supply dips, and camera latency. Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rails
Noun
  • Rectangular lamps were fixed at regular intervals between the pillars, and green metal railings lined the gaps to keep people from falling into the water.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • The original 1900 barn has been expanded into a five-bedroom, open-plan home with decks extending from both levels and a 25-foot-tall great room topped by a loft with wood railings.
    The Week US, TheWeek, 8 June 2026
Noun
  • Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 June 2026
  • Such incidents involving multiple cyclists are rare in the Netherlands, where bicycle riding is woven into everyday life and almost all roads have dedicated cycle lanes.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 June 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
  • Creators are the coal shovelers who have allowed YouTube to move so far so fast, except the railroads used to pay their boilermen a wage.
    Belinda Luscombe, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
  • The pending acquisition, which the railroads expect to close by 2027, still has to clear a lengthy review process by the STB.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Hanoi is spending billions of dollars on new transport infrastructure, including new expressways, railways, ports, and airports.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 16 June 2026
  • The region also has plans for a number of large infrastructure projects including more railways and flights, Chen said.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rails. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.

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