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
Sean Conlon, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
The film appears to go off the rails past this point, as Doug, Griff, and Claire (Thandie Newton) must now escape the clutches of a river monster.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Adam Sabes , Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Opponents have railed against the issue over the past several days, framing it as a byproduct of Republicans hastily passing a map without enough information.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
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Noun
The firm upgraded the rail transportation giant to outperform from sector perform and upped its price target to $39 from $37, implying around 19% upside from Wednesday's close.
—Sean Conlon, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
The film appears to go off the rails past this point, as Doug, Griff, and Claire (Thandie Newton) must now escape the clutches of a river monster.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
Cameras capture the suspect climbing over a railing onto a rooftop overlooking the UVU plaza, positioning himself in a prone stance consistent with a sniper setup.
—Adam Sabes , Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Opponents have railed against the issue over the past several days, framing it as a byproduct of Republicans hastily passing a map without enough information.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 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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