Rail (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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. stocks or bonds of railroad companies.
  7. a horizontal member capping a bulwark.
  8. any of various horizontal members framing panels or the like, as in a system of paneling, paneled door, window sash, or chest of drawers.
  9. 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.
verb (used without object)
  1. to utter bitter complaint or vehement denunciation (often followed by at or against): to rail at fate.
verb (used with object)
  1. to bring, force, etc., by railing.
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.
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
  3. a horizontal framing member in a door or piece of panelling
  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
  6. a trim for finishing the top of a bulwark
  7. off the rails
    • into or in a state of dysfunction or disorder
    • eccentric or mad
verb (tr)
  1. to provide with a rail or railings
  2. to fence (an area) with rails
verb
  1. to complain bitterly or vehemently
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
Rail (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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