rails 1 of 2

plural of rail
1
as in railings
a protective barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and its supports the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in roads
a roadway overlaid with parallel steel rails over which trains travel an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush

Synonyms & Similar Words

rails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rail

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rails
Verb
By blending plain-vanilla money funds with blockchain rails, the firm is proving that tokenization is not just a theory but a functioning business model. Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 With no wheels touching the rails, the usual clatter and vibration of trains disappear. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025 At a family meeting about the sentencing, things quickly go off the rails. Grace Byron, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025 Look for a manufacturer stamp on the top of drawers, under the seat rails of chairs, and on the back of case pieces and chests, Lev says. Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025 In an off-the-rails affair in which the Broncos and Colts kept handing each other the game in the fourth quarter, Denver fell to Indianapolis 29-28 in their Week 2 matchup Sunday. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025 Riding the rails gives you time to slow down and look at the canopy’s changing hues, from chartreuse to crimson. Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rails
Noun
  • Some perky-looking musical notes, in brass, were affixed to railings.
    D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Last but not least, the home features the coziest front porch, complete with eye-catching front and side railings, that can be transformed into the perfect space for unwinding with outdoor furniture, a porch swing, a set of string lights, and a stylish doormat, of course.
    Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Red and white English flags have proliferated along streets and been painted on roads.
    Vitalii Yalahuzian, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Nothing better than putting down the top and driving beautiful roads just after the rain stops and the air is powerfully charged by the nearby ocean, scrubbed clean.
    Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • And his ultimate war is with Bob, a tech CEO who rants about his haters and has gotten rich off rebranded snake oil and whose obvious corruption has been obscured by his self-mythologizing.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • One grumbles when the driver rants about development’s ravages.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Speaking at Morgan Stanley’s Laguna Conference on Wednesday, Vena pointed to new partnerships between other major North American railroads that have been forged in the wake of the UP-NS mega-merger as an indicator that competition is firmly heating up.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Their grip is not on steel and railroads, but information, which has the capacity to change human existence in fundamental ways.
    Jamie Merisotis, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Daxing International Airport is also conveniently connected directly to China’s high-speed railways as well as local Beijing trains, making access to the airport easy.
    Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
  • So Xinjiang launched an ambitious initiative to fuse data from all available sources, including banks, railways, and phone companies, into a central database.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rails. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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