rail
gb/ɹˈeɪl/ us/ɹˈeɪl/
A2
English
~ 2100
korlát, vasút, dühösen szid, kikel valami ellen, sín
NOUN
A2
1
korlát
A2
Usage pattern:
a [metal/wooden] rail
She grabbed the hand rail as she climbed the stairs.
Ahogy felfelé ment a lépcsőn, belekapaszkodott a korlátba.
The balcony has a safety rail to prevent falls.
Az erkélyen biztonsági korlát van, hogy senki ne essen le.
A curtain rail runs along the top of the window.
He leaned against the wooden rail and looked at the sea.
The bed has a side rail to keep the child safe.
Learner examples
Hold the rail when you go down the stairs.
Kapaszkodj a korlátba, amikor lemész a lépcsőn.
The baby bed has a rail.
A kiságynak van oldalkorlátja.
There is a metal rail along the path.
I put the curtain on the rail.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'rail' with 'railing'; 'rail' often refers to a single bar, while 'railing' can mean the whole barrier system.
Meaning
Horizontal bar for support
Collocations
hand rail
|safety rail
|guard rail
|curtain rail
|bed rail
Synonyms
bar (A general term for a rigid rod; may not imply support or safety function.)
Antonyms
gap (An empty space without a barrier.)
Themes
construction
|transport
|daily life
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A long bar you can hold or that stops you from falling.
A long, narrow bar, usually metal or wood, fixed in place to act as a barrier, guard, or support.
NOUN
B1
2
vasút
A2
Usage pattern:
by rail
They decided to travel across Europe by rail.
Úgy döntöttek, hogy vasúton utazzák be Európát.
The city is improving its rail network.
A város fejleszti a vasúthálózatát.
High-speed rail connects the two capitals in under two hours.
Rail transport is often cheaper than flying.
The strike affected all rail services in the region.
Learner examples
We went to Paris by rail.
Vonattal mentünk Párizsba.
The city has a good rail system.
A városnak jó vasúthálózata van.
Many people use rail to go to work.
The train is part of the rail network.
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'rail' with 'train'; 'rail' refers to the system, not just one train.
Meaning
System of tracks and trains
Collocations
rail network
|rail service
|high-speed rail
|rail transport
|travel by rail
Synonyms
railway (More common in British English; refers to the same system.)
Antonyms
road (Refers to transport routes for cars, buses, etc., not trains.)
Themes
transport
|travel
|transportation
|business
Definition
Trains and the tracks they run on.
The railway system used for transporting people or goods by train.
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
rail against [something/someone]
He railed against the unfair decision.
Hevesen kikelt az igazságtalan döntés ellen.
The protesters railed at the new tax law.
A tüntetők dühösen szidták az új adótörvényt.
She railed bitterly about the poor service.
Many citizens railed against corruption in politics.
Learner examples
He railed against the bad rules.
Dühösen szidta a rossz szabályokat.
The man railed at the high prices.
A férfi dühösen szidta a magas árakat.
They railed about the dirty park.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'rail' meaning 'train'; context is key to understand it as a verb of complaining.
Meaning
Complain angrily and repeatedly
Collocations
rail against injustice
|rail at the government
|rail bitterly
Synonyms
rant (Informal; often implies speaking at length in an emotional way.)
Antonyms
praise (To express approval instead of disapproval.)
Themes
emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To talk in an angry way about something you do not like.
To speak or shout angrily about something, especially to show disapproval.
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
4
sín
A2
The workers replaced several damaged rails after the accident.
A munkások a baleset után több sérült sínt is kicseréltek.
Each rail must be perfectly aligned for safety.
A biztonság érdekében minden sínnek tökéletesen beállítva kell lennie.
The train wheels run directly on the rails.
Learner examples
The train moves on rails.
A vonat síneken halad.
They fixed the broken rails.
Kijavították a sérült síneket.
Rails are made of steel.
Meaning
Steel track for trains
Collocations
steel rail
|replace rails
|lay rails
Synonyms
track (General term for the whole railway path including rails and sleepers.)
Themes
transport
|transportation
|travel
Definition
A long piece of metal that trains move on.
One of the parallel steel bars that form a railway track.
Grammar
Dictionary form
rail
IPA
GB/ɹˈeɪl/
US/ɹˈeɪl/
Syllables & stress
rail (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (rail)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: rail
- Plural: rails
Verb
- Base: rail
- 3rd Person Singular: rails
- Present Participle: railing
- Past: railed
Word family
Expressions
by rail
1/bˈaɪ ɹˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
Using train transport
Traveling or sending things using trains.
Examples
- We decided to travel to Berlin by rail.
- Goods are often transported by rail across the country.
off the rails
1/ˈɔf ðə ɹˈeɪlz/
idiom
informal
Behaving in an uncontrolled way
To start acting in a strange or wild way, often causing problems.
Examples
- After losing his job, he went completely off the rails.
- The project went off the rails after the budget cuts.
rail against
1/ɹˈeɪl əɡˈɛnst/
fixed phrase
Complain angrily about something repeatedly
To speak in an angry way about something you think is wrong or unfair.
Examples
- She often rails against modern technology.
- Citizens railed against the new law.