[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/hail.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / hail

[← H](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/H/)

# hail

«hail» in Mova's school dictionary: **small balls of ice that fall from storm clouds like hard…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (hail, uncountable; a hailstone, hailstones); verb (hail, hails, hailed, hailing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Hail is small balls of ice that fall from storm clouds like hard rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m1)

2) To hail means to call out or wave to get someone's attention, such as hailing a taxi. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m2)

3) A hail of things is a lot of them coming at once, like a hail of stones. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m3)

4) To hail someone as something means to praise them loudly as that, like hailing a player as a hero. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m4)

5) To hail from a place means to come from there. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m5)

6) Hail can also be an old greeting, a way of saying hello to someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

In science and weather lessons hail is one kind of precipitation, made when raindrops are carried up high in a thunderstorm and freeze in layers; it is most common in warm-season thunderstorms, not in winter snow. In safety, hail tells you to get indoors and away from glass, because big hailstones can hurt people, dent cars and smash windows. In stories «hail» (verb) shows someone calling or greeting. Phrases: «a hailstorm», «hail a taxi/cab», «a hail of arrows/bullets», «hailed as a hero», «hails from Ireland».

### examples

- Hail bounced off the car roof like little marbles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x1)
- The hailstones were as big as peas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x2)
- We ran into the shed when the hail started. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x3)
- Dad stood on the corner and hailed a taxi. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x4)
- The captain hailed the other ship. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x5)
- The new goalkeeper was hailed as a hero after the save. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x6)
- The farmer's crops were flattened by a hailstorm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x7)
- My grandad hails from a small town in Scotland. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x8)
- A hail of acorns fell when the wind shook the tree. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x9)
- "Hail, fair maiden!" says the hunter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/#x10)

### note

«Hail» (ice) is uncountable: «some hail», «a lot of hail»; one piece is «a hailstone». Hail is not the same as sleet (half-melted snow mixed with rain) or snow (soft ice crystals). Homophone: «hale» (healthy, as in «hale and hearty»). Past: «hailed». Myth: hail does not only come in winter; it usually comes from summer thunderstorms.

### In the corpora

- [Then the pattering begins: little feet, closing in from every side like hail.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/34-willows-ch3-part2-the-terror-of-the-wild-wood/5/)
- [Tall, dark, towering thunderclouds can bring lightning, heavy rain, hail and strong wind.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/15-weather-signs/8/)
- [When big hailstones fall, go indoors and stay away from windows and skylights, because hail can hurt people and break glass.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/235-rain-floods-and-storms/21/)
- [When the droplets join together and grow heavy, they fall as rain, snow or hail: this is called precipitation.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/14-the-water-cycle/3/)
- [Rain, snow, sleet and hail are all called precipitation.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/14-the-water-cycle/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «hail» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hail/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.