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
Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
The aluminum mount is super strong, and attaches to basically anything—a camper, roof rack, your 4Runner’s trunk, or a truck bed’s tie down rails.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024
Kale Williams, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Donald Trump has railed against these protections, though, and vowed to unwind them – something that's well within his education secretary's power.
—Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rail 
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Noun
The curtain rail and the spotlights are discreetly integrated into the drop ceilings.
—Nicolas Milon, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024
The aluminum mount is super strong, and attaches to basically anything—a camper, roof rack, your 4Runner’s trunk, or a truck bed’s tie down rails.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 18 Nov. 2024
Verb
Record numbers of people are expected to take to the skies, roads and rails this Thanksgiving — across the country and here in Portland.
—Kale Williams, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Donald Trump has railed against these protections, though, and vowed to unwind them – something that's well within his education secretary's power.
—Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 19 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 1 Dec. 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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