derail

verb de·rail \ di-ˈrāl , dē- \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: derail in a Sentence

Definition of derail

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

play \-mənt\ noun

See derail defined for English-language learners

See derail defined for kids

Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow.
The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples of derail from the Web

Kathy Griffin got pretty quiet last year in the weeks and months following that time her life was upended and her career nearly derailed by a now-infamous photo of the comedian holding a Donald Trump mask covered in fake blood.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Controversial comic Kathy Griffin’s back, with a warning for fans coming to her show," 13 July 2018
At some point, Sony may get tired of the conversation about its consoles and games getting constantly derailed by this one persistent issue.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Sony exec “confident” PS4 cross-console play “solution” is coming," 27 June 2018
After being derailed by hamstring problems in the 2017, Kenyan Wycliffe Kinyamal Kisasy breaks through in the 800.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "Nobody likes the Oregon Project's Galen Rupp? Says who? Oregon track & field rundown," 18 May 2018
Reed's victory, succeeding Sergio Garcia, whose title defense was derailed by a disastrous quadruple bogey 13 on the first day, means that all four major golf titles are held by Americans of 27 years of age or under.

— paul gittings, CNN, "Masters 2018: Patrick Reed keeps his nerve to claim the Green Jacket," 8 Apr. 2018
Philadelphia Orchestra audiences have encountered works by Chinese composer Tan Dun that similarly incorporate field recordings and videos, but are presented in a low-tech manner that’s easily derailed by performance circumstances.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Mummers and sizzling cheesesteaks get their Philadelphia Orchestra moment," 29 Mar. 2018
Benjamin Weiser | The New York Times | March 3, 2018 | 31 minutes (7,864 words) Nakesha Williams’ promising life was derailed by mental illness.

— Longreads, "The Top 5 Longreads of the Week," 10 Mar. 2018
Last month the Cavaliers girls basketball team was one victory from grabbing a share of its first conference title since 2000, but it was derailed by a loss to Dominican.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Girls basketball: St. Thomas More earns first WIAA state tournament berth," 3 Mar. 2018
Congress on Tuesday refocused its attention on disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey victims after being derailed by negotiations over the federal budget and a three-day government shutdown.

— mihir zaveri, Houston Chronicle, "Local Army Corps district has billions of dollars in projects in pipeline," 24 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'derail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.