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

That was almost derailed Sunday at home in their season opener, even after benefiting from a first-half call that erased a New Orleans Saints touchdown. — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

And now each of those meetings are being derailed by combating misinformation about vaccines. — Roshan N. Bransden, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Injuries derailed Jackson’s 2025 season after a lights out first three games. — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

The show follows 16-year-old Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), a single sculler whose entire life is derailed after her father, David (Byron Lawson), a wealthy hotelier, is caught stealing money from his clients. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 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