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

• 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

Of all of those great players listed above, a handful were derailed by injury. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025

And in his posthumous memoir, The Bigger Picture, Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau is reflecting on some of the many stories that nearly derailed the blockbuster both on and off set. —Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025

The episodes, including Jones’ explosive revelations in Virginia, follow a decade of Trump rewriting the standard for what can derail a campaign. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025

Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building. —Angélica Franganillo Díaz, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025

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