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railing

American  
[rey-ling] / ˈreɪ lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a fencelike barrier composed of one or more horizontal rails supported by widely spaced uprights; balustrade.

  2. banister.

  3. rails collectively.

railing British  
/ ˈreɪlɪŋ /

noun

  1. (often plural) a fence, balustrade, or barrier that consists of rails supported by posts

  2. rails collectively or material for making rails

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of railing

First recorded in 1350–1400; rail 1 + -ing 1

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.

With its butter yellow paint, green shutters, and white railings, Gracie Mansion is a wedding cake of a house overlooking the East River.

From BBC

The palace was home to Prince Charles and his first wife, Diana Princess of Wales, and the commission was for gates and railings separating the house from public gardens.

From BBC

Wilson has been railing against Lululemon’s leadership on LinkedIn for much of the past year and took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal last month to complain.

From The Wall Street Journal

He then rips the statue from the railings and drags it onto his bike before riding off while balancing the soldier across the vehicle.

From BBC

It was the only day the cruise line attached vomit bags to each railing in the stairwells.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.