derailed; derailing; derails
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
Joanne Gordon
: to leave the rails
Synonyms of derail
Examples of derail in a Sentence
The train derailed in heavy snow.
The train was derailed by heavy snow.
Recent Examples on the Web
So everyone crosses their fingers, hopes mostly for good health and then prays that an extended late season break doesn’t derail the momentum the Stars have managed to create in the last 10 days.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Thousands of Federal Aviation Administration workers have been furloughed and nearly 14,000 air traffic controllers will work without pay as the partial government shutdown drags into its third day -- and now GOP hard-liners are threatening to derail a potential vote to reopen the government.
—Justin Gomez, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2026
Tough lessons for the Mavericks to learn while completely derailing their franchise’s trajectory.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
That case rests almost entirely on a single clinical trial, conducted before the DVD was invented, in which its striking benefits were derailed by damning side effects.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
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Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Thousands of Federal Aviation Administration workers have been furloughed and nearly 14,000 air traffic controllers will work without pay as the partial government shutdown drags into its third day -- and now GOP hard-liners are threatening to derail a potential vote to reopen the government.
—Justin Gomez, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2026
Tough lessons for the Mavericks to learn while completely derailing their franchise’s trajectory.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
That case rests almost entirely on a single clinical trial, conducted before the DVD was invented, in which its striking benefits were derailed by damning side effects.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derail. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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