Meaning & use
hail someone
Last updated
Meanings
phrasetransitiveformalliterary
To greet or welcome someone with enthusiasm, often publicly.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: hail someone as a hero.
Patterns
- hail someone as something
- hail someone with something
The crowd hailed the returning soldiers as heroes.
She was hailed as the best young pianist of her generation.
phrasetransitive
To signal to a taxi or other vehicle to stop, especially by waving your hand.
Grammar: Takes a vehicle or driver as object: hail a cab.
Patterns
- hail a taxi
- hail a cab
It was raining, so we hailed a taxi outside the station.
He hailed a passing bus and jumped on.
Common combinations
- hail a taxi
- We hailed a taxi to get to the airport quickly.
- hail someone as
- The critics hailed the film as a masterpiece.
- hail from
- She hails from a small town in Ohio.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- hail verb
- The base verb meaning to greet or signal.
Commonly confused: hail someone or hale?
hail someone vs hale
Hale means healthy and strong, as in 'hale and hearty'. Hail is about greeting or calling.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hail someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hail' as a verb takes a direct object without a preposition: hail someone as something. The other options wrongly insert 'to', 'at', or 'for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hail someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.