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”; see also 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”

Explanation

The verb rail means to criticize severely. When you rail against increased taxes at a town meeting, you speak openly and loudly about how wrong the increase is and point out the problems it will cause. Rail can also mean "to complain." When your mom asks you to vacuum the house, you might rail against this chore by saying that you ALWAYS do the vacuuming, that vacuuming is SO hard, and that you hate the stupid vacuum! Rail can also mean to spread negative information about someone in an abusive way. If your "friends" rail against you to everyone in school, they're spreading nasty rumors about you, and you should find new friends!

Example Sentences

Alexander said the rail project was now expected to cost between £87.7bn and £102.7bn in 2025 prices.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Adding to commuters’ ire, Manhattan’s Penn Station will be shut down for regular New Jersey-bound rail service for four hours before each match.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

Caltrans is working with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the high-speed rail company Brightline West, which is building a route from Las Vegas to Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

It would also require the Transportation Department to prescribe minimum inspection-time requirements for rail cars and safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, including limits on length and weight.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

To solve the problem, rail workers and strong bystanders unhooked the cars from the engine and pushed them the last few hundred yards to the side porch.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

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