rail

¹ American  

[reyl] / reɪl /

noun

1. a bar of wood or metal fixed horizontally for any of various purposes, as for a support, barrier, fence, or railing.

2. a fence; railing.

3. one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack.

4. one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives and railroad cars.

5. the railroad as a means of transportation.

   to travel by rail.

6. rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.

7. Nautical.  a horizontal member capping a bulwark.

8. Carpentry, Furniture.  any of various horizontal members framing panels or the like, as in a system of paneling, paneled door, window sash, or chest of drawers.

9. Slang.  a line of cocaine crystals or powder for inhaling through the nose.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.

rail ² American  

[reyl] / reɪl /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at oragainst ).

   to rail at fate.

   Synonyms:

   revile , rant , castigate , inveigh , fulminate

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verb (used with object)

1. to bring, force, etc., by railing.

rail ³ American  

[reyl] / reɪl /

noun

1. any of numerous birds of the family Rallidae, that have short wings, a narrow body, long toes, and a harsh cry and inhabit grasslands, forests, and marshes in most parts of the world.

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rail ¹ British  

/ reɪl /

noun

1. a horizontal bar of wood, metal, etc, supported by vertical posts, functioning as a fence, barrier, handrail, etc

2. a horizontal bar fixed to a wall on which to hang things

   a picture rail

3. a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling Compare stile 2

4. short for railing

5. one of a pair of parallel bars laid on a prepared track, roadway, etc, that serve as a guide and running surface for the wheels of a railway train, tramcar, etc

6. 1. short for railway

   2. ( as modifier )

      rail transport

7. nautical a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark

8. 1. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder

   2. eccentric or mad

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verb

1. to provide with a rail or railings

2. to fence (an area) with rails

rail ² British  

/ reɪl /

verb

1. (intr; foll by at or against) to complain bitterly or vehemently

   to rail against fate

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rail ³ British  

/ reɪl /

noun

1. any of various small wading birds of the genus Rallus and related genera: family Rallidae , order Gruiformes (cranes, etc). They have short wings, long legs, and dark plumage

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rail Idioms  

1. see off the rails; thin as a rail; third rail.

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Other Word Forms

• railer noun
• railingly adverb
• railless adjective
• raillike adjective

Etymology

Origin of rail¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English raile, rail(le), from Old French raille, reille, Anglo-French raila, reyla “(horizontal) bar, beam,” from Latin rēgula “bar, straight piece of wood”; regula

Origin of rail²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English railen, from Middle French railler “to mock, deride,” from Provençal ralhar “to babble, chatter,” from Vulgar Latin ragulāre (unattested), derivative of Late Latin ragere “to bray”

Origin of rail³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English rale, rail, from Middle French raale, raille, from Old French rasle, noun derivative of râler, racler, from Vulgar Latin rāsiculāre (unattested), frequentative of Latin rādere (past participle rāsus ) “to scratch”

Example Sentences

Plans to ban passengers from a peak train service between Manchester and London have been abandoned after a U-turn by the government's rail safety regulator.

From BBC

It follows the "Kensington Treaty" signed this summer between the UK and Germany, which included closer co-operation on defence and plans for easier travel between the two countries, including a direct rail link.

From BBC

Extensive flooding is possible along with disruption on the road and rail network, loss of power and communities potentially cut off.

From BBC

A power outage has caused major disruption to all rail services at Leeds Station.

From BBC

A train service taking commuters from Manchester to London is to run empty for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.

From BBC

Related Words

• castigate
• complain
• fume
• inveigh
• rant
• scold
• thunder