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 Rams beat the Chargers by 15, so miscues by the special teams didn’t derail them. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

The News OPay’s abrupt withdrawal of its $304 million US IPO on Friday cast a shadow over one of Africa’s most ambitious fintech listings, after an undisclosed foreign regulatory inquiry derailed its New York debut. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026

In January, more than two hours farther south along the route, a train derailed and struck another traveling in the opposite direction, killing 46 people. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

The Lions are too familiar with neck and spinal cord injuries that derail NFL careers and change the direction of players' lives. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 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