digression

noun

di·​gres·​sion dī-ˈgre-shən 

də-

1

: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work

Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.

—Willard Sterne Randall

2

archaic : a going aside

digressional

dī-ˈgresh-nəl 

də-, 

-ə-nᵊl

adjective

digressionary

dī-ˈgre-shə-ˌner-ē 

də-

adjective

Synonyms of digression

• tangent

Examples of digression in a Sentence

the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend

Recent Examples on the Web

The plot takes quite a few wild digressions on our heroes’ way to meeting Hamm (who also gives an excellent performance as himself). —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026

As a host, Bragg was both inviting and impatient, genuinely curious about his guests’ ideas but intolerant of digression or indulgent nerding out. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026

The conversation has been necessarily condensed for clarity and to take out vast numbers of further digressions. —Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026

This is a bit of a digression, which just occurred to me. —JSTOR Daily, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see digress

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for digression

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression
• possession