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
Relevance
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
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
More overnight lane reductions and ramp closures are scheduled for the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass as crews install K-rails and perform electrical work.
—City News Service, Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
Earlier, the jury had been on the brink of convicting Rivera of manslaughter, but after the foreman read their verdict, a lone juror shockingly almost threw the trial off the rails after they were individually polled.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Optical sensors on the connection rails of each Joy-Con 2 mean the controllers double as mice.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Pattinson is like a manic roller coaster on screen, increasingly off the rails as the weight of Emma’s reveal has Charlie questioning everything and reacting badly to the situation.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
This is the gap that Latitude aims to fill by helping firms make fast and affordable international payments by using stablecoin rails while abstracting away the complexity.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Except then there’s the chance of being FUNNELED, placed on the rails and headed for a very specific destination, instead of the OPEN-WORLD anything-goes of traditional D&D.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
Beijing is also advancing railgun technology, a type of electromagnetic weapon that propels projectiles along a pair of parallel rails at extreme speeds, while promising higher velocity and longer range than conventional guns, potentially transforming naval and land-based combat.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
More overnight lane reductions and ramp closures are scheduled for the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass as crews install K-rails and perform electrical work.
—City News Service, Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
Earlier, the jury had been on the brink of convicting Rivera of manslaughter, but after the foreman read their verdict, a lone juror shockingly almost threw the trial off the rails after they were individually polled.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Optical sensors on the connection rails of each Joy-Con 2 mean the controllers double as mice.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Pattinson is like a manic roller coaster on screen, increasingly off the rails as the weight of Emma’s reveal has Charlie questioning everything and reacting badly to the situation.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
This is the gap that Latitude aims to fill by helping firms make fast and affordable international payments by using stablecoin rails while abstracting away the complexity.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Except then there’s the chance of being FUNNELED, placed on the rails and headed for a very specific destination, instead of the OPEN-WORLD anything-goes of traditional D&D.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rails
Noun
-
The pier stretches into the Pacific as fisherman perch from its railings.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
When the bridge reopens, there will be railings to separate motorists and pedestrians and an improved pedestrian crossing heading east to make the trail safer.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Crowds also jammed the surrounding roads and beaches, reminiscent of the Apollo moonshots in the 1960s and ’70s.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 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
-
The increase in oil costs is raising the price of diesel, necessary for farmers and the trucks and railroads that carry food across the country.—
Garrett Downs,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Other activities on offer in town include visiting the Folsom History Museum, which has a temporary exhibition on the history of the Folsom Rodeo running through Jan 2027 and a permanent exhibition on Folsom’s innovations in industries like gold mining, railroads and agriculture.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Convenience on the railways There is little glamour late night in a crowded Amtrak station.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Calling those who root for railways and live for locomotion!—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rails. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
