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
Last week, more than a dozen empty coal cars derailed on a bridge over the Grant Calumet River in East Chicago, Indiana.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
In the latest installment of The Deadliest Drug, STAT’s Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher break down exactly how Trump officials have derailed alcohol research and prevention.
—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
30 June 2026
Too many innings have spiraled this season and derailed outings.
—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
The injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, not only derailed a possible title run that season, but also upended the Trojans’ trajectory for the next one.
—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
In the end, injuries have derailed Jonathan Isaac’s Magic career.
—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
Indeed, suspicions of the motivations related to anything that would expose students to more (rather than less) of the neighbor waging war against Ukraine almost derailed the project.
—
Howard Lafranchi,
Christian Science Monitor,
27 June 2026
The 6-6 guard-forward improved as the year progressed, growing more comfortable in his first full season since knee injuries — including a 2024 ACL tear — derailed his previous two campaigns.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
25 June 2026
After a 2025 season derailed by injury, Caitlin Clark was roughed up once again on Wednesday night, leaving the game with a back injury after taking a fist to the throat earlier in the game.
—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
25 June 2026
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
In the latest installment of The Deadliest Drug, STAT’s Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher break down exactly how Trump officials have derailed alcohol research and prevention.
—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
30 June 2026
Too many innings have spiraled this season and derailed outings.
—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
The injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, not only derailed a possible title run that season, but also upended the Trojans’ trajectory for the next one.
—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
In the end, injuries have derailed Jonathan Isaac’s Magic career.
—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2026
Indeed, suspicions of the motivations related to anything that would expose students to more (rather than less) of the neighbor waging war against Ukraine almost derailed the project.
—
Howard Lafranchi,
Christian Science Monitor,
27 June 2026
The 6-6 guard-forward improved as the year progressed, growing more comfortable in his first full season since knee injuries — including a 2024 ACL tear — derailed his previous two campaigns.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
25 June 2026
After a 2025 season derailed by injury, Caitlin Clark was roughed up once again on Wednesday night, leaving the game with a back injury after taking a fist to the throat earlier in the game.
—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed
Verb
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Getting distracted by a late-stage bombshell would feel disingenuous at this point.
-
My will is scattered, directed toward many contradictory things, and easily distracted.
Verb
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The location of the digging also could have disturbed another grave that may now be unmarked.
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Home to North America’s tallest mountain, Denali's six million acres of wilderness are disturbed by only one road.
Verb
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Those measures, however, have alarmed privacy advocates, who argue that age-gating the internet would affect all users — not just children.
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That’s alarmed the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents about 400 nurses and staff at two psychiatric hospitals in Sacramento.
Verb
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Maybe Bill Plaschke would be aware of that, and give due credit, if his hometown major newspaper bothered to have a dedicated correspondent covering one of the city’s NBA teams.
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For all the breathless coverage devoted to celebrity engagements, weddings, and whirlwind divorces, some of Hollywood’s most enduring love stories involve couples who never bothered with the paperwork.
Verb
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But both are concerned as heck about their missing boy, Carter, who is having some growing-up issues with his parents.
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The mom added that she is concerned after claiming that no one from the camp told her about the incident.
Verb
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The officials said the US worried that Israel might assassinate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliamentary speaker who is leading negotiations with the US, or Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has also been a public face of the talks.
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That was not enough for investors worried about free cash flow and Meta’s reliance on a narrow, economically sensitive revenue stream.
Verb
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They also have been angered by Kennedy’s attempts to link vaccines to autism, going against decades of research that show no such link, and his framing of autism as a debilitating disease.
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They've also been angered by Kennedy's attempts to link vaccines to autism, going against decades of research that show no such link, and his framing of autism as a debilitating disease.
Verb
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Silva served as Stockton’s mayor from 2013 to 2017, a term that was plagued by scandal.
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Drafted in the sixth round, Smack is tasked with stabilizing a position that has plagued Green Bay since Mason Crosby's departure.
Cite this Entry
“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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