derail

verb

de·​rail di-ˈrāl 

dē-

derailed; derailing; derails

transitive verb

1

: to cause to run off the rails

2

a

: to obstruct the progress of : frustrate

security problems derailed the tour

b

: to upset the stability or composure of

divorce … can seriously derail an employee

—Joanne Gordon

intransitive verb

: to leave the rails

derailment

di-ˈrāl-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms

• agitate
• ail
• alarm
• alarum
• bother
• concern
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• disquiet
• distemper
• distract
• distress
• disturb
• exercise
• flurry
• frazzle
• freak (out)
• fuss
• hagride
• perturb
• undo
• unhinge
• unsettle
• upset
• weird out
• worry

Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow.

The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's bid to power artificial intelligence systems with nuclear energy has apparently been derailed by a species of rare bees. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Trump has promised to enact sweeping tariffs on imports that would ignite trade wars, which could raise costs and derail overseas sales for Boeing, while the defense budget and arms exports could be threatened. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

In Pittsburgh, Trump delivered what his campaign aides described as his closing argument after his previous attempt — a mass rally at Madison Square Garden in New York — was derailed by crude and racist jokes. —Darlene Superville, Twin Cities, 4 Nov. 2024

That herculean effort injured his right foot and derailed the team's season. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French dérailler to throw off the track, from dé- de- + rail, from English

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

derail

verb

de·​rail di-ˈrā(ə)l 

: to cause to run off the rails

a train derailed by heavy snow

derailment

-mənt 

noun