derailed

verb

past tense of derail
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of derailed The violent shaking also derailed a freight train at the Yatsushiro station, NHK reported, citing the JR Freight Railway Company. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 29 July 2026 The groups recently derailed a neighborhood public meeting about the project, with many demanding to vote on the project. — Dylan Lysen july 29, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026 Large cracks appeared on major roads, including an elevated highway, and a goods train derailed, according to NHK, while rail ‌services were halted and flights grounded. — CNN Money, 28 July 2026 Van Ness will be charged with leading that group and appeared to be hitting his stride early last season before a foot injury that took far longer to heal than expected derailed his progress. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 27 July 2026 Chicago Sky's DiJonai Carrington derailed WNBA All-Star headlines after publicly accusing her ex-girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith, of cheating with multiple players around the league. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 South Carolina derailed Sanders’s momentum in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. — W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026 Recalling the shooting attempt that derailed the original dinner in April, Jiang recalled the night’s impromptu briefing at the White House. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 25 July 2026 Knapp had a great start to the season which was derailed by injury. — Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed
  1. distracted
  2. disturbed
  3. alarmed
  4. bothered
  5. concerned
  6. worried
  7. angered
  8. plagued
Verb
  • He was distracted by his own grief, and so was everyone else.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • And while the fall prestige slate has not been revealed, the Academy membership has a habit of falling for a summer release in July and then being distracted by new, shiny objects in January.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of distracted
Verb
  • The gunk Bondurant observed was likely didymo disturbed off the bottom of the river by people swimming and walking around.
    — Hannah Smith July 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
  • By contrast, ecological systems are complexly interconnected, meaning that when one element is disturbed, all the other components linked to it are affected, too, spreading the disturbance throughout the system.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of disturbed
Verb
  • There is currently no evidence that this is the case, and news reports suggest that OpenAI’s own safety teams were alarmed by the incident.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 July 2026
  • America’s Poison Centers’s national helpline receives more than 60,000 calls about possible vitamin poisoning every year, mostly from parents alarmed after their children have accidentally gorged on the chewy sweets.
    — Cat Rainsford, Popular Science, 23 July 2026
Definition of alarmed
Verb
  • Whether you're bothered by perceiving the crease is entirely subjective, but Samsung added a dual-layered glass architecture to the inside display to reduce the visible crease by 20% on the Z Fold 8.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 23 July 2026
  • With an outdoor grill, full washer and dryer, and ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom, our party of six could have camped out for a full month–and never bothered to see a theme park.
    — Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2026
Definition of bothered
Verb
  • Tyson said the State Board believes the county’s elections remain secure and that voters should not be concerned.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026
  • Bloomberg hasn’t verified the authenticity of those posts, which concerned a transcript of a meeting Liang held with unidentified parties.
    — Haze Fan, Fortune, 25 July 2026
Definition of concerned
Verb
  • Another common source of opposition, identified in a 2021 feasibility study, came from community groups worried the cameras would be used to surveil and criminalize marginalized groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since early last year as investors worried that higher energy prices could drive up overall inflation.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Definition of worried
Verb
  • Rising housing prices, overwhelmed public transport and a flood of tourists in historic districts have angered locals, according to Reuters.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
  • Others, however, will be angered by the move — mostly because of how Madrid reacted to his 2024 Ballon d’Or victory ahead of Vinicius Junior.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of angered
Verb
  • Jackson broke his foot last training camp when a teammate stepped on it during practice, and that injury plagued him all of 2025, and required an offseason procedure that kept him sidelined all OTAs and minicamp.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
  • As in the last two years, this year’s Tour is plagued by doping.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of plagued

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Cite this Entry

“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of derailed for Spanish Speakers

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