rail

[ reyl ]

See synonyms for rail on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack.
one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives and railroad cars.
the railroad as a means of transportation: to travel by rail.
rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.
Nautical. a horizontal member capping a bulwark.
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.: Compare stile².
Slang. a line of cocaine crystals or powder for inhaling through the nose.

verb (used with object)

to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.

Origin of rail

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

Other words from rail

railless, adjective
raillike, adjective

Other definitions for rail (2 of 3)

rail²

[ reyl ]

verb (used without object)

to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against): to rail at fate.

verb (used with object)

to bring, force, etc., by railing.

Origin of rail

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”

Other words for rail

1	fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile

See synonyms for rail on Thesaurus.com

Other words from rail

railer, noun
rail·ing·ly, adverb

Other definitions for rail (3 of 3)

rail³

[ reyl ]

noun

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.

Origin of rail

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”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rail in a sentence

I like his weirder, more ambitious novels even when they go off the rails.
Haruki Murakami's Weird, Wonderful World | Malcolm Jones | August 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I scrambled toward the fence, loosing footing for an instant, then jumped to one of the rails halfway up.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls | Hampton Stevens | July 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
According to Dr. Greenberg, “When people have a bad day and fall off the rails, they need to just get back on track the next day.”
When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days | DailyBurn | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Earlier, in 2004, the Bush re-election effort conspicuously rode the rails of anti-gay prejudice to drive voter turnout.
Who to Blame for Donald Sterling and Cliven Bundy | Robert Shrum | April 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If Brady were as uptight and acerbic as Belichick often seems, the Patriot train would have long ago run off the rails.
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady Don’t Control Their Own Legacies | Evin Demirel | January 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

It stood on rusty broken rails which were nearly covered with dead leaves.
The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner
It means tearing up those rails, grading a new line—and you'll pay for it.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
Swinging himself onto one he took his place among the men who sat on the rails with which the car was loaded.
The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
I did not know if it was an alarm activated by the opening door or just rust on the rails and wheels of the door mechanism.
Valley of the Croen | Lee Tarbell
On came the boats, up the sides of the vessel clambered the men, over the rails they passed.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various

British Dictionary definitions for rail (1 of 3)

rail¹

/ (reɪl) /

noun

a horizontal bar of wood, metal, etc, supported by vertical posts, functioning as a fence, barrier, handrail, etc
a horizontal bar fixed to a wall on which to hang things: a picture rail

a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling: Compare stile 2
short for railing
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
- short for railway
- (as modifier): rail transport
nautical a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark
off the rails
- into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder
- eccentric or mad

verb(tr)

to provide with a rail or railings
(usually foll by in or off) to fence (an area) with rails

Origin of rail

C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood

Derived forms of rail

railless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for rail (2 of 3)

rail²

/ (reɪl) /

verb

(intr ; foll by at or against) to complain bitterly or vehemently: to rail against fate

Origin of rail

C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh

Derived forms of rail

railer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for rail (3 of 3)

rail³

/ (reɪl) /

noun

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

Origin of rail

C15: from Old French raale, perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with rail

rail

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

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