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rail
1[ reyl ]
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 stile 2.
- 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.
rail
2[ reyl ]
rail
3[ 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.
rail
1/ 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
- to provide with a rail or railings
- usually foll byin or off to fence (an area) with rails
rail
2/ reɪl /
verb
- intr; foll by at or against to complain bitterly or vehemently
to rail against fate
rail
3/ 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
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Derived Forms
- ˈrailless, adjective
- ˈrailer, noun
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Other Words From
- railless adjective
- raillike adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of rail1
Origin of rail2
Origin of rail3
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Word History and Origins
Origin of rail1
Origin of rail2
Origin of rail3
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Idioms and Phrases
see off the rails ; thin as a rail ; third rail .Discover More
Example Sentences
Authorities blame anarchists protesting a proposed high-speed rail line called TAV that will link Turin and Lyon, France.
Workers built a temporary rail track through the city to move the statue in a process that took three days.
After the tunnel was complete, Schmidt went about building a rail line through it.
Tougher regulations on tank cars and oil-by-rail make sense.
Yes, it costs more to move oil by rail than it does by pipeline.
A gentleman got out of a carriage before it stopped, and fell between the rail and the platform.
The first rail road opened in Brazil, the emperor and empress being present at the inauguration.
An accident occurred on the Panama rail road, recently put in operation, by which 43 persons were killed, and 60 wounded.
He drew up the rocker, hoisted his slippered feet on the rail, and proceeded to smoke a cigar.
Since then the whole of the trade of transit by rail has been conducted by the companies owning the lines.
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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.
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