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 unprecedented size of SpaceX’s debut makes the market mechanics more complicated, and the fear of unexpected glitches like the ones that derailed Facebook’s IPO in 2012 is guaranteed to keep executives on edge. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 12 June 2026

Consider Esther, a young woman from a Nairobi neighborhood whose life was derailed by the absence of a birth certificate. —Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

As promotional spots showing the combatants in fight mode fill the airwaves, the Public Integrity Project watchdog group has filed a lawsuit trying to derail the event. —Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Amid the disagreements, the White House was derailed by months of paralysis over how to handle the case. —Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 11 June 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