rail

1
[ reyl ]
See synonyms for: railrailedrailingrails on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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

  3. the railroad as a means of transportation: to travel by rail.

  4. rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.

  5. Nautical. a horizontal member capping a bulwark.

  6. 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.

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

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish or enclose with a rail or rails.

Origin of rail

1
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

Words Nearby rail

Other definitions for rail (2 of 3)

rail2
[ reyl ]

verb (used without object)
  1. to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against): to rail at fate.

verb (used with object)
  1. to bring, force, etc., by railing.

Origin of rail

2
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

Other words from rail

  • railer, noun
  • rail·ing·ly, adverb

Other definitions for rail (3 of 3)

rail3
[ reyl ]

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.

Origin of rail

3
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. 2024

How to use rail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rail (1 of 3)

rail1

/ (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

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

  2. short for railing

  3. 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

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

  5. off the rails

    • into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder

    • eccentric or mad

verb(tr)
  1. to provide with a rail or railings

  2. (usually foll by in or off) to fence (an area) with rails

Origin of rail

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

Origin of rail

2
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
  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

Origin of rail

3
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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.