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View synonyms for

rail

1

[ reyl ]

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.
  3. one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack.
  4. one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives and railroad cars.
  5. the railroad as a means of transportation:

    to travel by rail.

  6. rails, stocks or bonds of railroad companies.
  7. Nautical. a horizontal member capping a bulwark.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

rail

2

[ reyl ]

verb (used without object)

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

    to rail at fate.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

verb (used with object)

  1. to bring, force, etc., by railing.

rail

3

[ 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.

rail

1

/ ɪ /

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

  3. a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling Compare stile 2
  4. short for railing
  5. 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
    1. short for railway
    2. ( as modifier )

      rail transport

  6. nautical a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark
  7. off the rails
    1. into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder
    2. eccentric or mad
“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

verb

  1. to provide with a rail or railings
  2. usually foll byin or off to fence (an area) with 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

rail

2

/ ɪ /

verb

  1. intr; foll by at or against to complain bitterly or vehemently

    to rail against fate

“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

rail

3

/ ɪ /

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
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adjective
  • ˈ, noun
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Other yvlog Forms

  • l adjective
  • l adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of rail1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English raile, rail(le), from Old French raille, reille, Anglo-French raila, reyla “(horizontal) bar, beam,” from Latin ŧܱ “bar, straight piece of wood”; regula

Origin of rail2

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English railen, from Middle French railler “to mock, deride,” from ʰDZç ralhar “to babble, chatter,” from Vulgar Latin ܱ (unattested), derivative of Late Latin ragere “to bray”

Origin of rail3

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 ܱ (unattested), frequentative of Latin (past participle ܲ ) “to scratch”
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of rail1

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

Origin of rail2

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

Origin of rail3

C15: from Old French raale , perhaps from Latin to scrape
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Idioms and Phrases

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

This may explain how a handful of homeowner groups put the kibosh on a 16-mile above-ground rail line across the west San Fernando Valley back in the early 1990s.

From

The Police Department is one of several local law enforcement agencies that contract with MTA to patrol the county’s sprawling bus and rail system.

From

It stands at the terminus of the E, formerly Expo, light rail line and close to many restaurants, shops and other attractions.

From

"To cut costs on rail fares, we'd recommend booking tickets in advance and splitting fares where possible," she says.

From

He said TfW, which already runs the rail network, would need to "manage people's expectations".

From

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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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