Meaning of rail in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/reɪl/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Verb
railEtymology
late Middle English: from French railler, from Provençal ralhar‘to jest’, based on an alteration of Latin rugire‘to bellow’Definitions
1. complain bitterly- 2. enclose with rails
Examples
- « rail in the old graves »
Derived terms
- 3. provide with rails
Examples
- « The yard was railed »
Derived terms
- 4. separate with a railing
Examples
- « rail off the crowds from the Presidential palace »
Derived terms
- 5. convey (goods etc.) by rails
Examples
- « fresh fruit are railed from Italy to Belgium »
Derived terms
- 6. travel by rail or train
Examples
- « They railed from Rome to Venice »
- « She trained to Hamburg »
Derived terms
- 7. lay with rails
Examples
- « hundreds of miles were railed out here »
Derived terms
- 8. fish with a hand-line over the rails of a boat
Examples
- « They are railing for fresh fish »
- 9. spread negative information about
Examples
- « The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews »
Derived terms
- 10. criticize severely
Examples
- « He fulminated against the Republicans' plan to cut Medicare »
- « She railed against the bad social policies »
Derived terms
Noun
railEtymology
Middle English: from Old French reille‘iron rod’, from Latin regula‘straight stick, rule’Definitions
1. a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supportsDerived terms
- 2. short for railway
Examples
- « he traveled by rail »
- « he was concerned with rail safety »
Derived terms
- 3. a bar or bars of rolled steel making a track along which vehicles can roll
Derived terms
- 4. a horizontal bar (usually of wood)
Derived terms
- 5. any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud
Famous quotes
- « You and I come by road or rail, but economists travel on infrastructure. » Margaret Thatcher
- « They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics, to take on public-sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefits system that was headed to bankruptcy. But with bipartisan leadership, we saved taxpayers $132 billion dollars over 30 years and saved retirees their pensions. We did it. » Chris Christie
- « In the United States three new methods of transportation made their appearance at almost the same time - the steamboat, the canal boat, and the rail car. » John Moody
- « Know how to travel from your town to a nearby town without a car, either by bus or by rail. » Marilyn vos Savant
- « By 2050, the Australian population is expected to grow from 22 million to 36 million. That increase alone will put huge pressure on our towns and our cities. We will need more homes, more roads, more rail lines, more hospitals, more schools, just to accommodate so many Australians. » Kevin Rudd