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 of derail

• distract
• disturb
• bother
• worry
• alarm
• concern
• unsettle
• agitate
• anger

Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow.

The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film is not blind to how easily big dreams can be derailed, especially for the hand-to-mouth creative class in a Midwestern outpost. —Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026

Paramount has taken a tender offer directly to WBD shareholders in an attempt to derail the Netflix agreement. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

The eviction drama became a flashpoint in the ongoing conversation about how Hollywood discards its icons, especially those whose careers were derailed by addiction, health issues and the slow evaporation of studio offers. —Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026

But behind all those laughs was a financial nightmare that almost derailed everything. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 7 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for derail

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• detail
• dovetail
• email
• entail

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