as in distracted
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 derailed
That plan changed once injuries derailed their chances of building enough continuity to have a legitimate chance of returning to the postseason.
—
Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 7 Mar. 2026
The impetus for the Rail Safety Act comes from a 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride derailed near East Palestine, Ohio.
—Michael F. Gorman, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Love and the Celebrity Skin lineup were photographed together in 2019, and Love and Auf der Maur had planned a tour together in 2020 that Covid derailed.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Cason said the injury that derailed his first year as a professional didn’t happen in any specific game and was something that progressively got worse over time.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
As a promising prep prospect who nearly had his career derailed by injury and tragedy.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
For example, a standout sequence in which Mabel’s attempts to communicate with Jerry via text-to-speech on her phone are derailed by George and the other animals hijacking it while discovering emojis is a riot, and only works because each of the characters is immediately understandable.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
The tour was derailed — before a single show was played — in September after guitarist Steve Jones suffered a broken wrist.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
But Pezeshkian’s reformist agenda — and his hopes of delivering a nuclear deal that could bring economic and social relief to his people — were abruptly derailed by Israel’s attacks.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 7 Mar. 2026
The impetus for the Rail Safety Act comes from a 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride derailed near East Palestine, Ohio.
—Michael F. Gorman, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Love and the Celebrity Skin lineup were photographed together in 2019, and Love and Auf der Maur had planned a tour together in 2020 that Covid derailed.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
Cason said the injury that derailed his first year as a professional didn’t happen in any specific game and was something that progressively got worse over time.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
As a promising prep prospect who nearly had his career derailed by injury and tragedy.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
For example, a standout sequence in which Mabel’s attempts to communicate with Jerry via text-to-speech on her phone are derailed by George and the other animals hijacking it while discovering emojis is a riot, and only works because each of the characters is immediately understandable.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
The tour was derailed — before a single show was played — in September after guitarist Steve Jones suffered a broken wrist.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
But Pezeshkian’s reformist agenda — and his hopes of delivering a nuclear deal that could bring economic and social relief to his people — were abruptly derailed by Israel’s attacks.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed
Verb
-
In his monologue, Gosling began going through the motions of singing a song about Earth (with a planetary model hanging down as a visual) before getting distracted by pop star Harry Styles in the front row.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Trump successfully distracted some MAGA folks from the Epstein case and the possibility that someone who accused him of foul play might be legit.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The hornets are extremely aggressive when the nest is disturbed.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Danita Hoskin, president of the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association, said that she was disturbed to learn recently that her neighborhood's life expectancy is more than 15 years shorter than for those who live north of 38th Street, according to the Polis Center at Indiana University Indianapolis.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But though an -itis can sound intense, there’s still no reason to be alarmed (or, again, to rub your eyes).—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Rinehart’s comments alarmed some AP journalists.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The state party chairman responded that his letter was not aimed at any specific candidate, and that he was not bothered that most candidates did not heed his call to exit the race.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The board adds its input, then shares a version with the individuals concerned.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Throughout his years of development, Connor Hines was concerned that nobody was even going to notice his passion project.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many small business owners have been worried about having to file individual lawsuits to get their refunds because lawyers have suggested that might be the case.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Regardless of the user, neighbors worried about the impacts of any industrial development to the nearby neighborhoods, city infrastructure, utility bills and schools within miles of the site.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Per The New York Times, lawyers told Judge Arun Subramanian in court on Monday that Live Nation and the DOJ settled on Thursday, which angered Subramanian as the judge hadn’t been briefed on the settlement Friday.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Vladimir, angered by this revelation because Cynthia is supposed to be sober, tackles him to the ground.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Wegmann said people tend to think of affordable housing in the context of the housing projects built in decades past, which, in some cases, were plagued by crime.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Much of the Colorado River’s water begins as snow in Colorado’s mountains, which have been plagued by record-low snowfall this winter.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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