derail

1 of 2

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

derailment

2 of 2

noun

de·​rail·​ment də̇ˈrā(ə)lmənt 

dēˈ-

plural -s

: an act or instance of derailing or being derailed : derailed state

Synonyms of derail

Verb

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

Examples of derail in a Sentence

Verb

The train derailed in heavy snow.

The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But those plans were derailed on Thursday when Egyptian authorities blocked the ship, the Scarlet Lady, from entering its waters at the last minute, according to Atlantis Events, days after the vessel was refused entry to Turkey. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

But a sluggish start quickly derailed his round, as bogeys on two of his first three holes dropped him behind the cut line. — Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

It wasn’t meant to be, though, as an injury setback derailed the then-23-year-old’s 2025 season and put his big league dreams on hold. — Fisher Isbell, AJC.com, 11 July 2026

After injuries derailed her promising elite career and the sport’s abusive culture robbed her of her joy, Ohashi reached superstar status while rediscovering her love of the sport with UCLA. — Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

French déraillement, from dérailler + -ment

First Known Use

Verb

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