Definition of 'rail'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense, plural rails
, present participle railing
, past tense, past participle railed
1. countable noun
A rail is a horizontal bar attached to posts or fixed round the edge of something as a fence
or support.
They had to walk across an emergency footbridge, holding onto a rope that served
as a rail.
She gripped the thin rail in the lift.
2. countable noun
A rail is a horizontal bar that you hang things on.
...frocks hanging from a rail.
This pair of curtains will fit a rail up to 7ft 6in wide.
3. countable noun [usually plural]
Rails are the steel bars which trains run on.
The train left the rails but somehow forced its way back onto the line.
4. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
If you travel or send something by rail, you travel or send it on a train.
The president traveled by rail to his home town.
...the electric rail link between Manchester and Sheffield.
5. verb
If you rail against something, you criticize it loudly and angrily.
[written] He railed against hypocrisy and greed. [V + against/at]
I'd cursed him and railed at him. [V against/at n]
6. See also railing
7.
8.
See go off the rails
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
rail
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
rail in British English 1
verb (transitive)
10. (usually foll by in or off)
to fence (an area) with rails
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
railless (ˈrailless) adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French raille rod, from Latin rēgula ruler, straight piece of wood
Word Frequency
rail in British English 2
verb
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
railer (ˈrailer) noun
Word origin
C15: from Old French railler to mock, from Old Provençal ralhar to chatter, joke, from Late Latin ragere to yell, neigh
Word Frequency
rail in British English 3
noun
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C15: from Old French raale, perhaps from Latin rādere to scrape
Word Frequency
rail in American English 1
noun
1.
a bar of wood, metal, etc. placed horizontally between upright posts to serve as a barrier or support
3.
5.
a horizontal piece of wood separating the panels in doors or wainscoting
7. Nautical
a narrow, wooden or metal piece forming the top of a ship's bulwarks
verb transitive
8.
to supply with rails or a railing; fence
adjective
9.
of or pertaining to a railway or railroad
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
rail in American English 2
verb intransitive
to speak bitterly or reproachfully; complain violently
with against, at, or aboutWebster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
railer (ˈrailer)
noun
Word origin
ME raylen < MFr < railler < Prov ralhar < VL *ragulare, to bray < LL ragere, to bellow
Word Frequency
rail in American English 3
nounWord forms: plural rails or rail
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME rayle < MFr raale < raaler, to screech, rattle < VL *rasclare, to grate: orig. echoic
Word Frequency
rail in American English 1
(reil)
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. See rails
7. Nautical
a horizontal member capping a bulwark
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
railless adjective
raillike
adjective
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME raile ‹ OF raille bar, beam ‹ L rēgula bar, straight piece of wood, regula]Word Frequency
rail in American English 2
(reil)
intransitive verb
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. fulminate, inveigh, castigate, rant, revile.2.
to bring, force, etc., by railing
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
railer noun
railingly
adverb
Word origin
[1425–75; late ME railen ‹ MF railler to deride ‹ Pr ralhar to chatter ‹ VL *ragulāre, deriv. of LL ragere to bray]Word Frequency
rail in American English 3
(reil)
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
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1400–50; late ME rale ‹ OF raale (c. Pr rascla), n. deriv. of raler ‹ VL *rāsiculāre freq. of L rādere (ptp. rāsus) to scratch]Examples of 'rail' in a sentence
rail
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
rail
birdQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
Which bird am I?
any of various parrots of the genus Kakatoe and related genera, such as K. galerita (sulphur-crested cockatoo), of Australia and New Guinea. They have an erectile crest and most of them are light-coloured
Which bird am I?
a mountain duck, Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos, of New Zealand having a mostly lead-blue plumage
Which bird am I?
either of two large common European sandpipers, Tringa totanus or T. erythropus (spotted redshank), having red legs
Which bird am I?
any of various birds of paradise of the genera Ptiloris and Craspedophora, such as C. magnifica (magnificent riflebird)
Which bird am I?
an Australian cockatoo, Kakatoe roseicapilla, having grey wings, back, and crest and a pink body
Your score:
Trends of
rail
View usage for:
Source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
In other languages
rail
British English: rail
/reɪl/ NOUN
A rail is a horizontal bar which is fixed to something and used as a fence or a support, or to hang things on.
She held on to the hand rail in the lift.
- American English: rail /ˈreɪl/
- Arabic: سُور
- Brazilian Portuguese: corrimão
- Chinese: 扶手
- Croatian: prečka
- Czech: zábradlí
- Danish: stang
- Dutch: leuning
- European Spanish: riel
- Finnish: kaide
- French: rampe
- German: Umzäunung
- Greek: κιγκλίδωμα
- Italian: rotaia
- Japanese: 柵
- Korean: 가로장
- Norwegian: gelender
- Polish: poręcz
- European Portuguese: corrimão
- Romanian: bară
- Russian: перила
- Latin American Spanish: riel
- Swedish: ledstång
- Thai: ราว
- Turkish: parmaklık
- Ukrainian: перило
- Vietnamese: chấn song
Browse alphabetically
rail
Source
Definition of rail from the Collins English Dictionary
Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries.
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
BIRDS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
peacock
puffin
stork
dove
BIRDS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
finch
penguin
stork
puffin
BIRDS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
dove
eagle
finch
heron
BIRDS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
heron
pheasant
puffin
flamingo
Your score:
Word of the day
Angkor Wat
the largest and best preserved Khmer temple in the Angkor complex of ruins
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
FARM ANIMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
cow
turkey
goat
pig
FARM ANIMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
pig
goat
horse
sheepdog
FARM ANIMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
duck
goose
turkey
bull
FARM ANIMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
turkey
sheep
bull
horse
FARM ANIMALS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
goose
alpaca
sheep
cow
Your score:
Scrabble: Spoilt for Choice
Strategize your Scrabble moves based on anagrams on the board, score, vowel placement, and hooks to get the best score you can.
Read more
‘100 Words for Rain’ by Alex Johnson
Discover the allure of weather lore and literary references in "100 Words for Rain" and delve into rain phenomena and cultural anecdotes.
Read more
Learning English: Making a phone call
Ease your nerves with these helpful phrases for English phone calls. From introductions to inquiries, master effective communication.
Read more
Scrabble: Words from Canada
A few Canadian words valid in Scrabble are of the culinary variety. From beignet to poutine, here are a few examples.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more