Illustration of rail
1
a
: a bar extending from one post or support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
: a structural member or support
2
a
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
plural rail or rails
: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
railed; railing; rails
: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer
noun
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of rail in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail
an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush
Verb (2)
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Drape, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Heartbroken at this betrayal, things flew further off the rails for Maxine as the party descended into chaos when Mary Jones (Julia Duffy) attempted to assassinate President Nixon.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 May 2024
Mystik Dan, with a smart ride up the rail, had pulled to about a three-length lead with about a sixteenth of a mile to go.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
Sent off at 18-1 odds, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the rail down the stretch with a short lead.
—CBS News, 4 May 2024
For the light rail, the festival is between the 7th Street and 9th Street stations.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 4 May 2024
All 1968 Shelby Mustangs were built at Ford’s assembly plant in Metuchen, N.J., and shipped by rail to Livonia, minus a number of fiberglass pieces unique to the Shelby, including the front end, hood, rear tail-lamp panel, deck lid, quarter-panel extension, and side scoops.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
The stairs are located at the site of the first rail incline in Cincinnati.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 6 May 2024
The fake blood, the cars on rails, the Potemkin villages, not to mention the computer graphics, the herds and armies and tempests that exist only in code.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
Matthew Lee, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
In a brief shot, Swift is seen standing next to a silver railing that eagle-eyed fans quickly surmised was in the shape of the TTPD logo.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
For years, police and public health officials in Milwaukee have railed against how easily accessible firearms are, even for young people or those who are legally barred from possessing them.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The votes came after Republicans spent much of the day railing against chaos at the U.S. border with Mexico and blaming the Biden administration for it.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Its sharpest focus was on a subject Francis has frequently railed against: poverty.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The crowds who gathered in Jerusalem, including families of Israelis still held in Gaza, called for new elections and railed against the government’s failure to free the hostages.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Supporters of Niger’s junta have mobilized for protests on Saturday to rail against the presence of US military personnel still stationed in the country.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Trump in the interview also railed against Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
—Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
Image Repole grew up in Middle Village, Queens, and spent ample time on the rail at Aqueduct, the bluest collar of racetracks.
—Joe Drape, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Heartbroken at this betrayal, things flew further off the rails for Maxine as the party descended into chaos when Mary Jones (Julia Duffy) attempted to assassinate President Nixon.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 May 2024
Mystik Dan, with a smart ride up the rail, had pulled to about a three-length lead with about a sixteenth of a mile to go.
—John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024
Sent off at 18-1 odds, Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. rode the rail down the stretch with a short lead.
—CBS News, 4 May 2024
For the light rail, the festival is between the 7th Street and 9th Street stations.
—Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 4 May 2024
All 1968 Shelby Mustangs were built at Ford’s assembly plant in Metuchen, N.J., and shipped by rail to Livonia, minus a number of fiberglass pieces unique to the Shelby, including the front end, hood, rear tail-lamp panel, deck lid, quarter-panel extension, and side scoops.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
The stairs are located at the site of the first rail incline in Cincinnati.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 6 May 2024
The fake blood, the cars on rails, the Potemkin villages, not to mention the computer graphics, the herds and armies and tempests that exist only in code.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024
Verb
China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan and immediately condemned the aid as a dangerous provocation.
—Matthew Lee, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024
In a brief shot, Swift is seen standing next to a silver railing that eagle-eyed fans quickly surmised was in the shape of the TTPD logo.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
For years, police and public health officials in Milwaukee have railed against how easily accessible firearms are, even for young people or those who are legally barred from possessing them.
—Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024
The votes came after Republicans spent much of the day railing against chaos at the U.S. border with Mexico and blaming the Biden administration for it.
—Luke Broadwater, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Its sharpest focus was on a subject Francis has frequently railed against: poverty.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The crowds who gathered in Jerusalem, including families of Israelis still held in Gaza, called for new elections and railed against the government’s failure to free the hostages.
—Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 1 Apr. 2024
Supporters of Niger’s junta have mobilized for protests on Saturday to rail against the presence of US military personnel still stationed in the country.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Trump in the interview also railed against Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
—Lawrence Andrea, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rail
1 of 4 noun1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
2
a
: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b
: railroad
rail
2 of 4 verb
: to provide with a railing
rail
3 of 4 noun
plural rails or rail
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4 verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railer
noun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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