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
Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Nuclear warheads are especially unsafe when they are located at Russia’s rail transfer points.
—William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
William Gavin, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Former President Donald Trump’s social media company outsourced jobs to workers in Mexico even as Trump publicly railed against outsourcing on the campaign trail and threatened heavy tariffs on companies that send jobs south of the border.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rail 
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Noun
What does go to the rail system is restricted to maintaining it, not expanding it.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Nuclear warheads are especially unsafe when they are located at Russia’s rail transfer points.
—William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
The cryptocurrency lobby has railed hard against the SEC and its chair, Gary Gensler, who has become uniquely despised by much of the crypto industry for the agency’s strict oversight.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Former President Donald Trump’s social media company outsourced jobs to workers in Mexico even as Trump publicly railed against outsourcing on the campaign trail and threatened heavy tariffs on companies that send jobs south of the border.
—Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rail
Dictionary Entries Near rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 22 Nov. 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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