digression
noun
di·gres·sion
dī-ˈgre-shən 
də-
1
: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work
Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.—
Willard Sterne Randall
Willard Sterne Randall2
archaic
: a going aside
Examples of digression in a Sentence
the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend
Recent Examples on the Web
The Third Realm - A Novel By Karl Ove Knausgaard
As if to make up for the digression, The Third Realm (the title can also translate as The Third Reich—very on-brand for Knausgaard) is almost too closely tied to The Morning Star.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Even his beloved rallies become debate fodder, with Harris mocking them as full of odd digressions and so boring his supporters often leave early.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Harris’ needling prompted Trump to launch into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions that his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away from.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2024
But, with Rozier, digression is so central to the achievement that even an accurate précis can render a film nearly unrecognizable.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression 
Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Even his beloved rallies become debate fodder, with Harris mocking them as full of odd digressions and so boring his supporters often leave early.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
Harris’ needling prompted Trump to launch into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions that his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away from.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2024
But, with Rozier, digression is so central to the achievement that even an accurate précis can render a film nearly unrecognizable.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'digression.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near digression
Cite this Entry
“Digression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digression. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share