rail1 nounrail2 verb
railrail1 /reɪl/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 
WORD ORIGINrail1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French reille ‘bar’, from Latin regula ‘ruler’, from regere ‘to keep straight’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- rail travel
- a towel rail
- Hold on to the rail as you walk up the stairs.
- Visitors can enter the city by rail or by boat.
- Albert Tarr was lying half on top of Mrs. Thomas between the rails.
- In other words, Mister Gleason in my estimation has lobbed this one over the rail.
- On the rails, Amtrak reported 60-minute delays on its Northeast Corridor line.
- The rails were bumpier than usual this evening.
- The best way to find out how they were attached is to chisel away a little plaster next to the rail.
- With the clamping blocks, join the leg frames with the other rails forming two half hexagons.
WORD SETS
adjoin, verbalcove, nounantechamber, nounanteroom, nounapartment block, nounapse, nounarcade, nounart gallery, nounatrium, nounattic, nounauditorium, nounawning, nounback door, nounback-to-back, nounbailey, nounbalcony, nounbalustrade, nounbanister, nounbarn, nounbasilica, nounbastion, nounbay window, nounblock, nounbrownstone, nounbungalow, nounbunkhouse, nounbyre, nouncabin, nouncampanile, nouncanteen, nouncarport, nouncasement, nouncastle, nounceiling, nouncellar, nouncentre, nounchalet, nounchamber, nounchancel, nounchanging room, nounchateau, nounchimney, nounchimney breast, nounchimney pot, nounchimney stack, nouncladding, nounclerk of works, nouncloakroom, nouncloister, nounclubhouse, nouncoatroom, nouncocktail lounge, nouncolonnade, nouncolumn, nouncommon room, nouncomplex, nouncompound, nounconcourse, nouncondominium, nounconservatory, nounconvent, nouncoping, nouncornerstone, nouncorn exchange, nouncorridor, nouncottage, nouncountry house, nouncountry seat, nouncourthouse, nouncowshed, noundado, noundance hall, noundetached, adjectivedoor, noundoorpost, noundormer, nounedifice, nounentry, nounentryway, nounestate, nounestate agent, nounextension, nouneyrie, nounfacade, nounfallout shelter, nounfamily room, nounfarmhouse, nounfire door, nounfire escape, nounfire station, nounfitment, nounfixture, nounflatlet, nounflight, nounfloor, nounfolly, nounforecourt, nounfort, nounfortress, nounfoyer, nounfrontage, nounfront room, nounfuneral home, noungable, noungabled, adjectivegargoyle, noungrandstand, noungrange, noungranny flat, noungrille, nounground floor, nounguardhouse, nounguesthouse, nounguildhall, noungutter, nounguttering, noungym, noungymnasium, nounhabitation, nounhall, nounhallway, nounhatch, nounhatchway, nounhayloft, nounhealth centre, nounhigh-rise, adjectivehospice, nounhospital, nounlaboratory, nounlanding, nounleaded lights, nounlean-to, nounledge, nounlightning conductor, nounlintel, nounlobby, nounlodge, nounloft, nounlog cabin, nounlounge, nounlouvre, nounmaisonette, nounmezzanine, nounmilking parlour, nounmoving staircase, nounmullion, nounnave, nounniche, nounoast house, nounobelisk, nounoffice building, nounoratory, nounoutbuilding, nounouthouse, nounoverhang, nounparapet, nounparty wall, nounpediment, nounpenthouse, nounperistyle, nounpicture window, nounpilaster, nounpillar, nounpinnacle, nounplatform, nounplumber, nounplumbing, nounpodium, nounpoint, verbPortakabin, nounpotting shed, nounpresbytery, nounpress gallery, nounprivy, nounpublic convenience, nounpyramid, nounrafter, nounrail, nounrampart, nounribbon development, nounrotunda, nounsanctuary, nounschoolhouse, nounscience park, nounsepulchre, nounservice charge, nounshack, nounshed, nounshop front, nounskylight, nounskyscraper, nounsliding door, nounsmokestack, nounsmoking room, nounspiral staircase, nounspire, nounsports centre, nounstack, nounstadium, nounstair, nounstaircase, nounstairway, nounstairwell, nounstall, nounstately home, nounstateroom, nounstation, nounsteeple, nounstep, nounstonework, nounstoop, nounstoreroom, nounstorm cellar, nounstory, nounstudio, nountenement, nountepee, nounterrace, nountheatre, nountoilet, nountool shed, nountower block, nountown hall, nountownhouse, nountransept, nountransom, nountrapdoor, nountreasury, nounturret, nounvault, nounvaulted, adjectivevaulting, nounventilator, nounvestibule, nounvilla, nounwalkway, nounwall, nounwatchtower, nounwater tower, nounweatherboard, nounwedding chapel, nounwing, nounwoodshed, nounworkhouse, nounworkroom, nounworkshop, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYrail + NOUN
All supplies are transported by air. a high-speed European rail network
(=the system of railway lines in a country)· The government has spent £2 billion on improving the country's rail network.
· People want a safe, reliable rail service.
· a first-class rail ticket
· Rail fares are to increase by up to 9.4%.
· They had introduced measures to make rail travel safer.
· Rail passengers will have to pay more for their tickets next year.
· Police have named four more victims of the Selby rail crash.
(=that makes train travel between two places possible)· He proposed building a high-speed rail link between the two airports.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· It was the country's worst ever rail accident.
All supplies are transported by air. (=a commuter who travels by train)· Rail commuters face severe delays because of engineering works.
· There will be an investigation into the cause of the air crash.
(=a long stick for hanging a curtain)· Velvet can be heavy so choose a strong curtain pole.
(=an air or rail accident)· The crash was the worst rail disaster in Pakistan’s history.
a high-speed European rail network· Rail passengers will have to pay more for their tickets next year.
(=affecting the rail/coal etc industry)· A rail strike would cause enormous public inconvenience.
(=all the roads or railways in a country)· Traffic problems are made worse by the country’s inadequate road system.
(=very thin)
· Freight delivery costs could be reduced substantially by using rail transport.
· The measures were introduced to make rail travel safer.
· the 15km long Gotthard railway tunnel
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· This route has been earmarked for a possible future extension of the Midland Metro light rail transit system.· Prescott said this could even include light rail or metro projects.· Chiarelli sees light rail as an alternative to widening the busy Airport Parkway which parallels the route near South Keys.· A LIGHT rail transit scheme could still go ahead in Cleveland, although the Government has axed funding for a similar project.· Thus, the comparative analysis of achievable stopping patterns by bus, light rail and suburban rail is well done.
· Rules were relaxed to allow the first privately owned locomotives unlimited access to the national rail network.· This envisages greater private-sector investment, including concessions to run parts of the national rail network.· Incoming/outgoing trains linked with the national rail network at Haybridge Junction, Wellington.
NOUN· Caltrain carries more bicyclists than any other commuter rail system in the United States, according to Caltrain officials.· Amtrak holds the Caltrain contract to run the commuter rail service that runs between San Francisco and Gilroy.· Caltrain contracts with Amtrak to operate the commuter rail line, which accommodates 26, 000 daily riders.
· He was in the Lockington rail crash near Beverley, East Yorkshire in 1986.
· If you do not want to use a pelmet, curtain rails and poles can also provide great visual variety.
· He has been undamaged by floods, rail disasters, the dome or the loss of Peter Mandelson.· Survivors of the Paddington rail disaster told the inquiry that inadequate emergency equipment hampered efforts to save lives.
· That's eighty-five pounds less my rail fare.· Present rail fare concessions will be retained.· Finally here is one comparison of a rail fare and a car fare.· We regret that we are unable to provide this rail fare facility for clients booking within one week of departure. 6.· This type of package is sometimes offered in conjunction with cheap rail fares and bus vouchers.· The passengers felt bad enough earlier when they were hit by a regional rail fare rise of more than five percent.
· This is expected to lead to a halving of rail freight tariffs by 2005.· The road lobby once again reigns supreme with rail freight raising prices to meet absurd Government targets.· Fewer people have a car and half of Britain's rail freight is unloaded here.
· He stood up and walked across the deck to stand by the chromium guard rail, looking down at her.· When you drive in, the road narrows, the metal guard rail is replaced by a hand laid rock wall.· There had been no guard rails and the men had had no experience or instructions to carry out the job.· It also owns shipyards and structural steel plants that make highway guard rails.· The guard rail twisted beneath her hands, and they fell backwards into empty space.· A carbon-fibre brake disc shattered as he slowed from high speed, and his McLaren crashed into a guard rail.
· For those who are not travelling by road, direct rail journeys are possible from most urban centres.· Retiro Station offered Paul Theroux a comfortable sense of home-coming after a long rail journey through the continent.· With branch lines axed, the only practical rail journeys begin or end in a city.· The rail journey to Swindon involved no fewer than three changes, at Southampton, Basingstoke and Reading.· The international network, at least for the Western imperial system, added a long ocean voyage between two rail journeys.
· There will also be concern that cuts in support for provincial services will threaten the viability of many rural rail lines.· Ringed by mountains cut by two-lane winding roads, it has no rail lines or airports.· However, many people in Thurrock fear that construction of the rail line will further blight the area.· As the floodwaters moved north of Grand Forks, more roads and rail lines were submerged.· The Exeter to Barnstaple rail line was under water at Yeoford.· The contract for the rail line was originally to have been awarded late last year, but there have been repeated delays.· Both railroads want major concessions in the form of track rights and divestiture of certain rail lines in exchange for their approval.
· There will also be concern that cuts in support for provincial services will threaten the viability of many rural rail lines.· Ringed by mountains cut by two-lane winding roads, it has no rail lines or airports.· As the floodwaters moved north of Grand Forks, more roads and rail lines were submerged.· Both railroads want major concessions in the form of track rights and divestiture of certain rail lines in exchange for their approval.· He said the two rail lines would schedule another vote later.
· Altogether the new £28 million rail link is expected to carry over 1.5 million passengers a year.· By train, it will take just 40 minutes on the direct rail link from Liverpool Street.· Transport 2000 claims that reopening a rail link to Guisborough could save taxpayers millions and remove the need for a bypass.· He also knows that there are plans for a high-speed rail link to run through Stratford.
· Excellent road and rail links make access easy from all parts of the country.· Damage to farmland was catastrophic and main rail links were severed.· Fortunately it has retained road and rail links with Hull, Scarborough and the historic town of Beverley.
· Rules were relaxed to allow the first privately owned locomotives unlimited access to the national rail network.· That accident led to speed restrictions and disruption throughout Britain's rail network during an emergency program of replacing cracked rails.· The rail network can not soak up demand displaced from the roads.· Immediate improvements in the rail network, allowing more movement of goods and passengers by rail and less environmental damage.· Approval is being sought to install state-of-the-art electronic systems to control the busiest parts of the rail network outside London.· I did not believe that there were large savings to be made simply from reducing the size of the rail network.
· The launch will bring a rare toast from millions of rail passengers hit by winter delays caused by leaves on the line.· Va., has announced that he intends to make an effort today to assure continued rail passenger service for West Virginia.· Jan 16, 2001 Who should pay the penalty for the miseries suffered by rail passengers this winter?· Elsewhere rail passengers either found other means of transport, or stayed at home.
· Rail removal I want to take down some dado and picture rails.· A shelf for decorative plates running at picture rail height will instantly bring an interior to life.· Pick out any interesting mouldings, dado rails or picture rails in different colours to emphasize these features.· A festive sprig or two round the picture rail?· Other interesting features of this room are the brass pots and pans that hang from a brass picture rail.
· John MacGregor's too grey, and he's terrified my voters over rail privatisation.· The rail privatisation issue and the appalling loss of freight from the railway to road haulage is frightening in its implications.· That could include non-educational matters, such as the effect of rail privatisation on reduced fares for young people.· Today a gentle meander through the horrors of rail privatisation.· The firm's crash will come as a blow to the Government's rail privatisation plans.· On board were hundreds of campaigners heading for a national demonstration against the government's rail privatisation plans.
· The same company is also expected to operate the orbital light rail route which opens in August.
· Flooding disrupted rail services in three areas of Devon and Cornwall where flood warnings were issued on 33 rivers.· The Tunnel is due to open in December 1993, but full rail services are unlikely to be operating before mid-1994.· I recently travelled on the Kent rail service and visited my hon. Friend's constituency with him.· A manual of advice on how best to forecast the demand for new rail services of various types will then be prepared.· We are concerned to maintain and improve standards on all rail services, including those in the western region.· Public transport is poor - with buses only adequate for local use - and there is no rail service.· These involved road blocks, interrupting rail services and police controlling the route to the airport.
· Your local bus or rail station can supply booklets on places to visit, or country walks within reach of big cities.· Le Bez is accessible from the Toulouse airport, 50 miles to the west, or the Castres rail station.· All rail stations should be developed or moved to incorporate bus stations and car parks.
· Read in studio Thousands of commuters once again decided to stay at home rather than try to beat the rail strike.· Indeed Sears points to £6.3m worth of special factors, such as the rail strike, accounting for almost half the profits set-back.
· Caltrain carries more bicyclists than any other commuter rail system in the United States, according to Caltrain officials.· Then the narrow gauge became the standard Voice over A rail system based on a horse's behind.· Last year, 68 pedestrians were killed on the 6, 500-mile rail system that stretches throughout the state.· They've built roads and bridges and rail systems.· On the north Kent lines, the Government want to see a modern, first-class rail system in Network SouthEast.· Privatisations gone wrong in rich countries have included the rail system in Britain, electricity in California and water in New Zealand.· An important application could be in low-speed urban rail systems, which often have tight corners.
· Meeting the plane at Heathrow I carried just one rail ticket from London to Sheffield.· The robber, who had a skinhead haircut, took £30 and a rail ticket.· A one-way crossing in a car will cost $ 30, a single rail ticket just over $ 7.50.· Boots' two-for-the-price-of-one rail ticket offer; and plans to extend cheap Apex fares to all routes.· If I buy a rail ticket for two persons, I am issued separate tickets.
· If you have a small bathroom, why not consider a radiator with a built-in towel rail?· The alternative to this is a separate, electrically heated towel rail.· Roll top baths, mixers, heated towel rails, soaps and towels.· Kicking off his muddy wellingtons, he walked across to the towel rail on the far side of the old-fashioned kitchen.· The few electrical fittings which are allowed in bathrooms, such as heated towel rails, will already have their own earth connections.
· Doubling rail traffic would cut carbon dioxide emissions by only about 3 percent.· The problem there is that the railroad is so close to the interstate and the traffic lights are controlled by rail traffic.· During a lull in the rail traffic, he opened the bag and had a good look at the object.· Rifkind has commissioned the Department of Transport's Policy Unit to explore ways of encouraging rail traffic, including freight.
· The use of buses is becoming even more important in relation to rail transport.· This is likely to provide a further obstacle to clear and stable objectives for rail transport.· Programme contracts were also to govern the implementation of the 1987 rail transport plan.
· Yesterday's transport committee heard that a group is being set up to consider all aspects of rail travel in the North-East.· But Michael Fallon, defending Darlington for the Tories said the concessionary rail travel would be safeguarded.· ScotRail will provide our winners with free return rail travel to Glasgow and Ayr.· Not that the beginnings of rail travel were auspicious.· In any event, rail travel is becoming more like a dice game.· Packages that include rail travel are available from Superbreak Mini-Holidays.· If rail travel gets worse before it gets better, voters may dump them at the next general election.
· Will he take note of the campaign to sink the link, as the channel tunnel rail link passes Gravesend and Northfleet?· The letter refers to King's Cross and the channel tunnel rail link.· The decision on the channel tunnel rail link was environmentally sound.· Projects such as the west coast main line and the Channel Tunnel rail link are expected to come in well over budget.· The channel tunnel rail link has been at the centre of my thoughts about my own urban concerns.
· And rail union leader Jimmy Knapp said privatisation would put up fares by 142 percent.· The rail unions rejected Mr Parkinson's plans.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► jump the rails
1[uncountable] the railway system: - But it was the news pages that had really gone off the rails.
- Has something gone off the rails here?
- Things started to go off the rails, however, with the Fiat Multipla.
- He was back on the rails, and moving again.
- It seems that matters have fallen behind schedule and need to be put back on the rails.
- Excellent road and rail links make access easy from all parts of the country.
- However, outlying villages had been attacked and the city's rail link with Phnom Penh was frequently severed.
- In many cases they have the public on their side as the recent furore over the rail links with London has demonstrated.
- Newby is a quiet village between the busy A65 and the old road linking Ingleton and Clapham with road access to both.
- The houses will be for people who have to move out of Bentham Drive to make way for a new rail link.
- Through the World's Edge Mountains great fortified underground roads linked their underground cities.
- When it was first launched in 1982 a Minitel terminal consisted of a small monitor with a keyboard and a telephone link.
- Will he take note of the campaign to sink the link, as the channel tunnel rail link passes Gravesend and Northfleet?
the American rail system a high-speed rail network Passengers want a better rail service. the Channel Tunnel and its rail links with Londonby rail We continued our journey by rail. I need to buy a rail ticket. cheap rail fares2[countable] one of the two long metal tracks fastened to the ground that trains move along3[countable] a bar that is fastened along or around something, especially to stop you from going somewhere or from falling: Several passengers were leaning against the ship’s rail. → guardrail, handrail4[countable] a bar that you use to hang things on: a towel rail a curtain rail5go off the rails informal to start behaving in a strange or socially unacceptable way: At 17 he suddenly went off the rails and started stealing.6back on the rails happening or functioning normally again: The coach was credited with putting the team back on the rails.COLLOCATIONSrail + NOUNthe rail network/system (=the system of railway lines in a country)· The government has spent £2 billion on improving the country's rail network.a rail service· People want a safe, reliable rail service.a rail ticket· a first-class rail ticketa rail fare· Rail fares are to increase by up to 9.4%.rail travel· They had introduced measures to make rail travel safer.a rail passenger· Rail passengers will have to pay more for their tickets next year.a rail crash· Police have named four more victims of the Selby rail crash.a rail link (=that makes train travel between two places possible)· He proposed building a high-speed rail link between the two airports.rail1 nounrail2 verb
railrail2 verb WORD ORIGINrail2
Origin:
1400-1500 French railler ‘to make fun of’, from Late Latin ragere ‘to make the sound of a horse’VERB TABLE
rail
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | rail |
| he, she, it | rails | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | railed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have railed |
| he, she, it | has railed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had railed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will rail |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have railed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am railing |
| he, she, it | is railing | |
| you, we, they | are railing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was railing |
| you, we, they | were railing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been railing |
| he, she, it | has been railing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been railing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be railing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been railing |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Besides which, it was my country that was polluting her, and he needed some one to rail against.
- The legislators, of course, know better than to rail against evolution.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES All supplies are transported by air. a high-speed European rail network
· It was the country's worst ever rail accident.
All supplies are transported by air. (=a commuter who travels by train)· Rail commuters face severe delays because of engineering works.
· There will be an investigation into the cause of the air crash.
(=a long stick for hanging a curtain)· Velvet can be heavy so choose a strong curtain pole.
(=an air or rail accident)· The crash was the worst rail disaster in Pakistan’s history.
a high-speed European rail network· Rail passengers will have to pay more for their tickets next year.
(=affecting the rail/coal etc industry)· A rail strike would cause enormous public inconvenience.
(=all the roads or railways in a country)· Traffic problems are made worse by the country’s inadequate road system.
(=very thin)
· Freight delivery costs could be reduced substantially by using rail transport.
· The measures were introduced to make rail travel safer.
· the 15km long Gotthard railway tunnel
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► jump the rails
1[transitive] to enclose or separate an area with railsrail something off/in- Excellent road and rail links make access easy from all parts of the country.
- However, outlying villages had been attacked and the city's rail link with Phnom Penh was frequently severed.
- In many cases they have the public on their side as the recent furore over the rail links with London has demonstrated.
- Newby is a quiet village between the busy A65 and the old road linking Ingleton and Clapham with road access to both.
- The houses will be for people who have to move out of Bentham Drive to make way for a new rail link.
- Through the World's Edge Mountains great fortified underground roads linked their underground cities.
- When it was first launched in 1982 a Minitel terminal consisted of a small monitor with a keyboard and a telephone link.
- Will he take note of the campaign to sink the link, as the channel tunnel rail link passes Gravesend and Northfleet?
The police railed off the area where the accident happened.2[intransitive, transitive] formal to complain angrily about something, especially something that you think is very unfairrail against/at Consumers rail against the way companies fix prices.