Illustration of rail
1
a
: a bar extending from one post or support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
: a structural member or support
2
a
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
plural rail or rails
: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
railed; railing; rails
: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer noun
Examples of rail in a Sentence
Noun (1) the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush Verb (2) we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Recent Examples on the Web
Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026 This is in contrast to Kalshi, which runs on traditional financial rails and is generally less ingrained in the crypto world. —Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026 Asked about the article during an unrelated press conference on Tuesday, Patel railed against negative media coverage. —Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rail
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Prioritize a deck or any other structural wood over something like a split-rail fence. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026 This is in contrast to Kalshi, which runs on traditional financial rails and is generally less ingrained in the crypto world. —Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
What To Look For Look closely at the decking, railing, steps, posts, and ledger board that attaches to your house. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2026 Asked about the article during an unrelated press conference on Tuesday, Patel railed against negative media coverage. —Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rail
1 of 4 noun
1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
2
a
: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b
: railroad
rail
2 of 4 verb
: to provide with a railing
rail
3 of 4 noun
plural rails or rail
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4 verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railer noun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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