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🚆 Train transport 🪑 A bar or barrier 😡 To protest angrily ⚡ A conducting bar 🐦 A wading bird 🚧 To fence off 🚆 To travel by train
to rail

to rail

1 5.7
To enclose an area by putting up rails
  • verb
  • /reɪl/
translation icon : vallar
  • They stood out on the railed porch in the bright fresh air.
  • railed platform
  • railed in iron

Examples

  • She hurried up one curving arm of the double iron-railed steps and through the open door.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I try the porch railing with my hand.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • There was a widow's walk on top, railed in black.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Straight ahead - a railed fence, part of the corral.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Two stories, brick and stucco, with a railed porch running the length of the top floor.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • On the porch, the many Davis cousins were sipping cocktails, some leaning against the gallery railing across the front of the house.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • At home, the peacocks rested on the porch railing like decoys, eyes in slits.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I look up and see Liz out on the second-floor mini-deck, a rickety little platform, inadequately railed in.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The children played safely in the backyard, where their parents had railed off a section for them.

  • During the renovation, workers railed the new deck to ensure it was safe for guests.

Synonyms

to wall
vsto rail
41 6.4

To surround an area with a wall to protect it

is the lighter enclosing action using open bar barriers not solid walls
to fence
vsto rail
19 2.4

To put a barrier around land to mark or protect it

is the same action but often done with lighter open bar structures
to build a fence
vsto rail
7 1.8

To make a barrier of wood, metal, or wire around land to keep animals and people out

is the act of enclosing by adding narrow open bar structures
to fence off
vsto rail
4 3.7

Surround an area with a fence to stop people from entering

is similar but focuses on using narrow open bar structures
to fence in
vsto rail
3 3.0

To surround an area with a barrier to keep others out

is similar but emphasizes using narrow open bars for separation
to hedge
vsto rail
1 3.7

To surround an area with bushes to make a living fence

is to enclose using manufactured open bar barriers rather than living plants
to rail in
vsto rail
6.7

To surround a place with rails or a fence for protection

is to enclose using narrow open bars rather than solid barriers
to rail off
vsto rail
7.0

To separate people or part of a place by putting up a barrier

is to enclose using narrow open bars rather than solid walls
to walled
vsto rail
4.1

To build a wall around something to protect or separate it

is to enclose using lighter open bar barriers rather than solid build

Antonyms

open
∞ 1.0

Not closed so people or things can go through

Idioms

skinny as a rail
  • Informal
1 7.0

Very thin person with little or no fat

to ride on a rail
  • Archaic
9.9

To be publicly punished or laughed at in a way that shames you

Phrasal Verbs

to rail in
6.7

To surround a place with rails or a fence for protection

to rail off
7.0

To separate people or part of a place by putting up a barrier

Compounds

rail line
16 2.8

Tracks and the ground they sit on that form a route for trains

third rail
  • Specialized
4 7.7

An extra rail beside train tracks that provides electricity to trains

rail fence
  • US
1 4.3

A fence made of long wooden rails laid in a zigzag to keep animals in

fence rail
1 2.8

A long narrow piece of wood that sits across posts to make a barrier

fife rail
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A low fence around a sailing ship's mast that holds ropes or supports people

rail technology
  • Specialized
1 4.4

The planning, building, and running of trains, tracks, and stations

rail-splitter
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A person who splits logs to make wooden rails for fences

safety rail
1 2.3

A strong bar along stairs or platforms that stops people from falling

split rail
  • US
1 6.1

A long wooden piece cut lengthwise from a log used in fences

split-rail fence
  • US
1 4.8

A fence made from split logs stacked horizontally in a zigzag

bilevel rail car
  • Specialized
5.2

A train car with two levels of seats to carry more passengers

double-deck rail car
4.2

A train car with two levels of seats to carry more passengers

land rail
  • UK
9.0

A small brown bird that lives in fields and meadows, often hidden in tall grass

loot rail
  • Jargon
9.5

A system in a game that gives items fairly to each player

picture rail
5.0

A narrow rail fixed high on a wall for hanging paintings

plate rail
6.8

A narrow shelf fixed to a wall for showing plates and small decorations

towel rail
  • UK
2.5

A bar fixed to a wall for hanging towels to dry

snake-rail fence
  • US
7.5

A low wooden fence made of rails in a zigzag that marks a border

How Enclosed

to enclose
84 3.7
to fence
19 2.4
to rail
1 5.7
to border
12 3.1

Surface Forms

rail infinitive
railed past
railed past participle
railing present participle
rails third person singular

Etymology

Rail as a verb meaning to enclose comes from the noun rail for a bar, so to 'rail' a space is to put up rails around it. So to rail something is to protect or mark it by putting bars or a fence around it.