- [countable] a wooden or metal bar placed around something as a barrier or to provide support
- She leaned on the ship's rail and gazed out to sea.
Extra Examples- He climbed onto the top fence rail.
- She held tightly on to the rail.
- After the accident a guard rail was placed all the way along the cliff path.
- He came slowly down the stairs, holding the banister rail.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- guard
- safety
- curtain
- …
- grab
- grasp
- grip
- …
- on a/the rail
- over a/the rail
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- [countable] a bar fixed to the wall for hanging things on
- a curtain rail
Extra Examples- A black dress was hanging on the rail.
- Lace curtains hung from the brass rails over the bed.
- He put the towel back on the rail.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- guard
- safety
- curtain
- …
- grab
- grasp
- grip
- …
- on a/the rail
- over a/the rail
- [countable, usually plural] each of the two metal bars that form the track that trains run on
- The train thundered along the rails.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by bus and trainb2- The train came off the rails.
- Trams run along rails.
- Weeds grew between the rails.
- A child was seen crossing the rails.
- The gun is mounted on rails.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + rail- run along rails
- run on rails
- along (the) rails
- between the rails
- on (the) rails
- …
- come off the rails
- go off the rails
- ride the rails
- …
- [uncountable] (often before another noun) railways as a means of transport
- by rail to travel by rail
- rail travel/services/fares
- a rail link/network
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by bus and trainb2- He uses a combination of commuter rail and underground to get to work.
- Many business people now opt for high-speed rail rather than flying.
- We went from London to Budapest by rail.
- the Channel Tunnel rail link
- efforts to modernize the rail network
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- high-speed
- light
- commuter
- …
- fare
- ticket
- network
- …
- by rail
Word Originnoun Middle English: from Old French reille ‘iron rod’, from Latin regula ‘straight stick, rule’.
Idioms
See rail in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee rail in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishget back on the rails
- (informal) to become successful again after a period of failure, or to begin functioning normally again
- He has helped get the company back on the rails again.
go off the rails (informal)
- to start behaving in a way that is strange or unacceptable, for example drinking a lot or taking drugs
- She went completely off the rails after her sister died.
- He was worried his son was going to go completely off the rails.
- to lose control and stop functioning correctly
- The company has gone badly off the rails in recent years.
jump the rails
- (of a train) to leave the track suddenly
Check pronunciation:
rail