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
Examples of derail in a Sentence
The train derailed in heavy snow.
The train was derailed by heavy snow.
Recent Examples on the Web
About 130 railcars located west of Ashby were derailed by the tornado, which hit around 6:27 p.m., local outlet News Channel Nebraska reported.
—Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Near Hyannis, Nebraska, a train was derailed by a tornado, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump also accuses Zelenskyy of derailing negotiations.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
Pope Francis was such a popular figure with the church’s followers that the insiders who wanted to derail his efforts decided to attack Pell.
—Gerald Posner, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
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Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Apr. 2025
Near Hyannis, Nebraska, a train was derailed by a tornado, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump also accuses Zelenskyy of derailing negotiations.
—Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025
Pope Francis was such a popular figure with the church’s followers that the insiders who wanted to derail his efforts decided to attack Pell.
—Gerald Posner, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derail. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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