as in to distract
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
according to police, the suspect had been derailed in recent months by mounting financial problems
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Recent Examples of derail
Niki suffers from ultra-sensitivity to noise, also known as hyperacusis, which derailed his career in music.
—
Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Any one of these can be enough to derail a meal plan.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
The broken wheel led to 10 train cars derailing, the accident report said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2026
Despite the prediction, inflation at the macroeconomic level will be hard-pressed to derail the ascendent tech sector, which is currently undergoing a huge acyclical boom due to AI and the massive amounts of capital that are pouring in to fund it.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Any one of these can be enough to derail a meal plan.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026
The broken wheel led to 10 train cars derailing, the accident report said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2026
Despite the prediction, inflation at the macroeconomic level will be hard-pressed to derail the ascendent tech sector, which is currently undergoing a huge acyclical boom due to AI and the massive amounts of capital that are pouring in to fund it.
—Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
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This moon phase puts pressure on your love life, creativity or personal passions, especially if you've been emotionally distracted by money worries or self-worth issues.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
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While Jay and Kyle distract the guard, Pete reunites with Amunhotep (everyone's favorite mummy ghost) and the portrait is discovered!—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Against the photographic realism of Paglen and Burtynsky, a sleeker subset of work risks rendering seductive that which ought to disturb us.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
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The idea that there can be any kind of misalignment between them, though, disturbs her.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
24 May 2026
Verb
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In a funny touch of feminist commentary, the Pounds parents are intent on their bratty son Andrew (Hamnet survivor Jacobi Jupe) getting the best possible education but less bothered about glum daughter Drissila (Evie Templeton).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
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What bothers him most, however, is the suggestion that neo-soul lacked authenticity or cultural purpose.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Plus, pet owners like myself will appreciate not having to worry about our animals being around pesticides.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
20 May 2026
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The band isn’t worried about label expectations or pleasing mainstream audiences.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Advertisement Mallory’s ruthlessness in the custody fight begins to alarm wishy-washy Karl.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
20 May 2026
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For the last several months, wildlife experts have been alarmed by a large influx of dead and emaciated seabirds washing up on California beaches.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Endocrinology is the medical specialty concerned with these diseases of the body’s hormones.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
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So far as Pedro Almodóvar is concerned, cinema is everything, and everything is cinema.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
19 May 2026
Verb
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His decision to pull out of the house sales upends an entire property chain, as his manipulative nature unsettles those around him.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
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Since the moon is also void for nearly the entire day, before entering Aries later this evening, the energy could feel strangely unsettled.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Similar to how cosmic impacts can agitate and heat lunar regolith to liberate trapped particles from the solar wind, machines can do much the same.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
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At this point, those agitating against the merger might see their most realistic option being to lobby for conditions on the merger, such as job-protection guarantees or production minimums.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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