Meaning of rail in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /reɪl/

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  1. Verb

    rail

    Etymology

    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. 2. enclose with rails

    Examples

    • « rail in the old graves »
  3. 3. provide with rails

    Examples

    • « The yard was railed »
  4. 4. separate with a railing

    Examples

    • « rail off the crowds from the Presidential palace »
  5. 5. convey (goods etc.) by rails

    Examples

    • « fresh fruit are railed from Italy to Belgium »
  6. 6. travel by rail or train

    Examples

    • « They railed from Rome to Venice »
    • « She trained to Hamburg »
  7. 7. lay with rails

    Examples

    • « hundreds of miles were railed out here »
  8. 8. fish with a hand-line over the rails of a boat

    Examples

    • « They are railing for fresh fish »
  9. 9. spread negative information about

    Examples

    • « The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews »
  10. 10. criticize severely

    Examples

    • « He fulminated against the Republicans' plan to cut Medicare »
    • « She railed against the bad social policies »

  11. Noun

    rail

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French reille‘iron rod’, from Latin regula‘straight stick, rule’

    Definitions

    1. a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
  12. 2. short for railway

    Examples

    • « he traveled by rail »
    • « he was concerned with rail safety »
  13. 3. a bar or bars of rolled steel making a track along which vehicles can roll
  14. 4. a horizontal bar (usually of wood)
  15. 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