vail
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to let sink; lower.
-
Archaic. to take off or doff (one's hat), as in respect or submission.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to lower (something, such as a weapon), esp as a sign of deference or submission
-
to remove (the hat, cap, etc) as a mark of respect or meekness
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of vail1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English valen, vaile “to subside, sink,” shortened variant of avalen, awalen, availen (now obsolete), from Middle French avaler “to move down,” derived from the phrase a val “down” (literally, ”to the valley”), equivalent to a “to” (from Latin ad ) + val vale )
Origin of vail2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English vailen, vaille, valen, shortened variant of avail
Origin of vail3
First recorded in 1350–1400
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vail Resorts dropped 4.3% after the mountain resorts company said ski pass sales have dropped for the upcoming North American winter season and it cut fiscal-year guidance.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Kelly Vail, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, said both cases remain on “security hold via court order initiated by the” Los Angeles Police Department.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
Any eventual calming of tensions “won’t be sufficient to return energy prices to prewar levels,” said BMO Capital Markets strategists Ian Lyngen, Vail Hartman and Delaney Choi.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026
Vail Resorts fell 2% after the ski-resort operator cut its guidance for its current fiscal year, citing the lowest snowfall levels External link in more than 30 years at its resorts in Colorado and Utah.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
His tires were furnished by Messrs. S. Vail & Son, Morristown, N. J., who made the only tires then obtainable in America.
From Illustrated Catalogue of Locomotives Baldwin Locomotive Works by Baird, Matthew
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
