derail

play

verb de·rail \ di-ˈrāl , dē- \

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

Vroman had all the tools to eke out a role stateside in the NBA, but an injury permanently derailed his chances to stick in the league.

— matt giles, Longreads, "The Lonely Life of a Pro Basketball Player," 20 July 2017
In January 1969, a Great Southern Railroad train derailed at the site, causing an explosion of propane tanks, according to an NTSB report.

— kelly kazek, AL.com, "This ghost town deep in the Alabama woods holds a ghostly legend," 18 July 2017
Phone Hacking In the U.K., there’s also a lingering civil case that dates back to Murdoch’s previous attempt to acquire Sky, which was derailed in 2011 amid a phone-hacking scandal.

— joe mayes, Bloomberg.com, "Murdoch at Crossroads Weighing Fox's Next Move in Sky Bid," 4 July 2017
STEILACOOM, Wash. -- Police are responding to a scene where four cars of an Amtrak train derailed in Steilacoom, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reports. Law enforcement agencies and other first responders on Sunday said there were no reports of injuries.

— CBS News, "Amtrak train derails in Washington; no reports of injuries, authorities say," 2 July 2017
Four cars of the train, which were carrying about 200 passengers, derailed on Sunday around 2:30 p.m. PT near Chambers Bay.

— CBS News, "Amtrak train derails in Washington; no reports of injuries, authorities say," 2 July 2017
Two Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers supervising repairs to an area of track in Harlem where a subway train derailed on Tuesday have been suspended without pay.

— paul berger, WSJ, "MTA Suspends Supervisors in NYC Subway Derailment," 28 June 2017
The Chargers chairman’s demands and lack of negotiating skills (not to mention people skills) derailed the few stadium proposals that ever had a chance here.

— kevin acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego still can't decide whether it wants to get something done," 19 June 2017
For Instance, using the early warning system, train operators would have time to stop, preventing them from derailing.

— mercury news editorial board, The Mercury News, "Editorial: Trump dumping earthquake early warning system is ridiculous," 18 June 2017

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.