rails 1 of 2

Definition of railsnext
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
Noun
For Nabil, the core issue is the need for connected rails that let all participants in the prescription ecosystem move in harmony. Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026 Slopestyle is a course of rails and jumps that skiers navigate while performing acrobatic jumps that judges score for execution and difficulty. CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026 Agitators were seen blowing whistles, banging pots and pans, shaking metal barricades and striking the rails set up outside the property. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Each sip serves as an invitation to slow down to the rhythms of the rails, to savor the scenery as the world goes by. Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Feb. 2026 Without Brendan knowing, Birk had skied over to the terrain park to do some jumps and grind some rails. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026 But Saccharine slips off the rails, especially once Hana convinces Josie that Bertha’s spirit has latched onto her in malevolent ways, growing bigger and stronger all the time. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026 Rumor has it there was a cow on the rails. Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026 Everything went off the rails in 2020. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rails
Noun
  • The mansion features a limestone-and-concrete facade that opens to reveal plaster walls and ceilings, custom raw-steel railings, and European wide-plank white oak floors throughout.
    Sara B. Hansen, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Eight slim cases were custom-made by Jim Eby to fit against the second-floor railings in a way that improves safety while allowing for an open view of the museum ceiling and the hall below.
    Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • In Spain's southern Andalusia region, close to 4,000 people evacuated their homes as a result of the ongoing storm, and dozens of roads remained closed because of flooding and landslides.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The battery technology, aiming to hit public roads by mid-2026, could significantly reduce fire risks while improving performance in extreme heat and cold.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026
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
  • These were modern inventions made possible by the introduction of railroads to transport prisoners long distances from battlefields, and by the growth of administrative and organizational structures required to manage not just mass armies but hundreds of thousands of prisoners.
    Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Train Dreams, based on a novella by Denis Johnson, follows his key character one Robert Grainier, played brilliantly by Edgerton, a lumberman who felled timber for railroads at the turn of the 20th century.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Over the years, the cemetery has been impacted multiple times due to construction of roadways and railways, including the highway construction in the 1980s and 1990s.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 31 Jan. 2026
  • It's rated for everyone ages 8 and up and sees up to five players compete to dominate the railways of early 20th century America by claiming routes.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rails. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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