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
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
Jerry McNerney, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2025
Matthews’ August resolution called for either a bigger sales tax increase — 1.4 cents — to help pay for the full Silver Line as light rail or for all rail projects to be converted to bus rapid transit.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2025
Matt Gaetz, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
The first-term Democrat has long railed against the competitive electric supply market as one that overcharges consumers and violates consumer protection laws.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
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Noun
Eventually, the rail line would connect to the 300,000-plus residents of Stockton.
—Jerry McNerney, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2025
Matthews’ August resolution called for either a bigger sales tax increase — 1.4 cents — to help pay for the full Silver Line as light rail or for all rail projects to be converted to bus rapid transit.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
The president has long railed against the Justice Department for investigations into his own conduct during his first term as president, including his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to former President Biden.
—Matt Gaetz, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
The first-term Democrat has long railed against the competitive electric supply market as one that overcharges consumers and violates consumer protection laws.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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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