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
Recent Examples on the Web
Lars Paulsson, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024
The rail line will run within the highway median and support speeds of up to 200 mph.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Both lived near the rail yard decades ago and died from mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
—Amy Beth Hanson, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The project is part of a larger investment from the Department of Transportation (DOT), which allocated $8.2 billion in funding for several key rail projects across the country.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
The incident happened when a tram struck a rail after a mechanical problem, spilling passengers to the ground, CNN reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 21 Apr. 2024
The money would be used to implement improvements for the closure including guard rails, loading zones, minor re-striping and signal improvements.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
One bend features 170-year-old dwellings acquired from former cotton plantations nearby, a whipping post, and replicas of a rail car and a holding pen.
—Donovan X. Ramsey, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
The dine-in restaurant now sits a short walk away from the light rail’s New Bern station and around the corner from the new Cookie Plug shop.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 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
In addition to strengthening its military, which was downsized after the Cold War as Sweden bet on a peaceful future, the country needs to upgrade ports, roads, rail networks, hospitals and shelters.
—Lars Paulsson, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024
The rail line will run within the highway median and support speeds of up to 200 mph.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Both lived near the rail yard decades ago and died from mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure.
—Amy Beth Hanson, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
The project is part of a larger investment from the Department of Transportation (DOT), which allocated $8.2 billion in funding for several key rail projects across the country.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
The incident happened when a tram struck a rail after a mechanical problem, spilling passengers to the ground, CNN reported.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 21 Apr. 2024
The money would be used to implement improvements for the closure including guard rails, loading zones, minor re-striping and signal improvements.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
One bend features 170-year-old dwellings acquired from former cotton plantations nearby, a whipping post, and replicas of a rail car and a holding pen.
—Donovan X. Ramsey, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
The dine-in restaurant now sits a short walk away from the light rail’s New Bern station and around the corner from the new Cookie Plug shop.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 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 1 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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