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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of derail
Law enforcement, prosecutor or lab errors can similarly derail a case.
—
Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Lindy Ruff’s system was a tough fit, and a nasty ankle injury derailed his initial momentum in upstate New York.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
But his career in England was derailed by serious injuries.
—Cameron Lancaster, New York Times, 17 June 2026
An eye injury derailed his career as a slugging catcher at UConn.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Rebecca Dunlea, The Conversation, 17 June 2026
Lindy Ruff’s system was a tough fit, and a nasty ankle injury derailed his initial momentum in upstate New York.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
But his career in England was derailed by serious injuries.
—Cameron Lancaster, New York Times, 17 June 2026
An eye injury derailed his career as a slugging catcher at UConn.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
-
During the conversation, the individuals attempted to distract the woman by putting jewelry on her.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
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These plants either repel slugs and snails or distract the pests from your garden crops.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The golf practice center would disturb an already fragile ecosystem with a high water table, the board wrote.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
-
Gorsuch said the opinion was narrow and did not disturb other provisions of the law, which includes a ban on guns for drug addicts, ban on guns for people presently intoxicated and prohibition of firearms for those deemed a danger to themselves or others.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Oh, and more often than not, nobody bothers to check whether the change intervention actually worked, or whether leaders improve their performance after all!—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
The chest pain that had been bothering her finally let up.—
Tyler Quattrin,
Twin Cities,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Looking to be quite aggressive in a football sense and always looking for the solution and what can happen instead of worrying about what the problem is.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Many have worried that the trend toward more historic, modern, and established art is leaving contemporary artists in the dust, but by the sounds of it yesterday, dealers confirmed strong interest in the latter category, with broader sales made across their program.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Hordes of soccer fans wearing Mexico and South Korea jerseys were walking down Olympic Boulevard energized but not alarmed in any way.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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That alarmed some lawmakers about the risk of assessments on the rest of the market.—
Gray Rohrer,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Wednesday’s most concerning threat will roar to life in the afternoon, but some potent storms will bubble up in the morning too in parts of southern Minnesota and eastern Iowa.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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Cabrera dismissed any idea that he was concerned the cramp could signal a far more serious issue.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
One concern is parents of autistic children, who often have gastrointestinal issues, though the science linking those issues to autism is unsettled.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
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Any amount of opposition analysis would highlight that trait as something to be wary of and negate, but Summerville has the balance and footwork to beat a player one-on-one regardless, using his strengths to unsettle one side of a defence.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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After that, the day shift starts agitating for a pizza party.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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The patient is then placed into a cooling bag, which is then filled with ice and water, around 1 to 5 degrees, and agitated by providers to cool the whole body.—
Zuri Primos,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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