Word
derail
Meanings
To cause a train to leave the tracks; to come off the tracks.
To disrupt a plan, discussion, or process so that it stops or goes in the wrong direction.
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Definition
To derail is to cause a train to leave its tracks or to make a plan fail or go off course.
To derail means to make a train leave the railway tracks, often because of an accident. It is also commonly used in everyday English to mean interrupting a process or making a plan fail. In this figurative sense, a person, problem, or event can derail progress. It can be used both actively (someone derails something) and passively (something gets derailed).
Examples
- A fallen tree could derail the train if it hits the tracks.
- One angry comment can derail the whole conversation.
- Budget cuts may derail the project before it starts.
- Don’t let a minor mistake derail your progress.
More verbs
- analyze To analyze means to examine something carefully to understand it better.
- scrutinize To scrutinize means to examine something very carefully in order to notice details or find problems.
- affect To affect something means to influence it or cause a change in it.
- allude To allude means to mention or refer to something indirectly.
- elude To elude someone is to avoid being caught or understood.