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# rail

«rail» in Mova's school dictionary: **a long bar fixed in place, used to hold on to, to hang…** — 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 (a rail, rails; rail — the railway system); verb (rail — to complain angrily, rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A rail is a long bar fixed in place, used to hold on to, to hang things on, or to make a fence. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#m1)

2) Rails are the metal bars that trains run on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#m2)

3) Rail means the railway, as in travel by rail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#m3)

4) To rail at someone means to complain or shout angrily at them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In safety, hold the hand rail on stairs and escalators, and never climb on balcony rails. Train rails can be very dangerous: never play on or near railway lines, and cross only at proper crossings when lights and barriers show it is safe; some rails carry electricity. In everyday life, clothes hang on a rail; towels on a towel rail. In geography, rail transport moves people and goods. «Off the rails» means out of control.

### examples

- Hold on to the rail when you go down the stairs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x1)
- Never play near the railway rails. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x2)
- The train runs on metal rails. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x3)
- We travelled by rail from London to Edinburgh. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x4)
- Hang your coat on the rail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x5)
- The towel rail in the bathroom is warm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x6)
- Don't lean over the balcony rail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x7)
- And the poor wife put everything to rights, and reproached and railed at her husband. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/rail/#x8)

### note

Countable for bars (a rail, rails); uncountable for the system (by rail). «Railway» (UK) or «railroad» (US). «Railing(s)» = a fence of rails. «Handrail» = a rail to hold.

### In the corpora

- [Read it aloud and the quick beat sounds like wheels rushing on rails.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/25-reading-poems-meaning-sound-and-pictures/9/)
- [The third rail carries enough electricity to kill, so you never go near the tracks.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/270-trains-and-subways/5/)
- [The electricity in a third rail or overhead wire can kill a person in a moment, and it is always switched on.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/270-trains-and-subways/17/)
- [On escalators in malls you hold the rail and never run up the down escalator.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/273-shops-restaurants-and-libraries/10/)
- [Bike wheels can get stuck in tram rails, so cyclists cross them at an angle.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/technology/20-buses-trams-lorries-and-traffic-lights/10/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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