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

In season one, Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career was derailed prematurely 20 years ago. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026

Injuries should have derailed the Warriors’ chances of making the postseason, but ninth-seeded Golden State is all but guaranteed to make the play-in regardless of how wretched the rest of the season goes. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026

In Maryland, if you are suspected of certain crimes, you are automatically charged as an adult and destined to have your life derailed. —Erika Strauss Chavarria, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026

In addition to high fuel costs, tightening airspace also threatens to derail the global travel industry, as pilots reroute to avoid the Middle East conflict and capacity on popular routes fills up. —Shivangi Lahiri, USA Today, 10 Mar. 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