derail

verb

de·rail | \ di-ˈrāl

, dē-\

derailed; derailing; derails

Definition of derail

transitive verb

1 : to cause to run off the rails

2a : 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

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Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow. The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples on the Web

But that was before back surgery derailed his lone season with the Tigers, costing him all but a few games. — Tim Bontemps, chicagotribune.com, "Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Michael Porter Jr. are the great NBA draft unknowns," 21 June 2018 Brown was expected to serve as the costar on an ACC championship contender and seen as a potential lottery pick, but a foot injury suffered in January derailed his sophomore season. — Chris Johnson, SI.com, "2018 NBA Draft: Bruce Brown Scouting Report and Highlights," 18 June 2018 Six people have been hospitalized after a roller coaster derailed on the Boardwalk in Daytona Beach, Florida Thursday night, according to the local fire department. — Eli Meixler, Time, "Two Riders Thrown More Than 30 Feet to the Ground as Roller Coaster Derails in Daytona Beach, Florida," 15 June 2018 Two people fell 34 feet after a roller coaster derailed in Florida. — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Roller Coaster Derails Sending 2 People Plunging 34 Feet to the Daytona Beach Boardwalk Below," 14 June 2018 The team failed with Rashad Vaughn and Mirza Teletovic, who wasn’t the answer even before pulmonary emboli derailed his career. — Gary D'amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "D'Amato: The 2017-'18 season for the Bucks was a big disappointment," 29 Apr. 2018 Unfortunately Beijing’s leadership is divided on what to do next: meaning the possibility of a policy mistake derailing growth or markets is rising. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "Beijing Risks Choking Recovery Before It Begins," 28 Feb. 2019 Tech companies cannot be blamed for local policies that have helped to derail housing construction. — Nellie Bowles, The Seattle Times, "San Francisco officials to tech workers: Leave the office, buy your lunch," 31 July 2018 His face became a staple of political ads in the 1988 presidential election, helping derail the presidential aspirations of then-governor Michael Dukakis. — Jenifer Mckim, BostonGlobe.com, "With aging prison population, Massachusetts looks to possible cost-saving, compassionate fix," 21 May 2018

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.