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
The Associated Press reported that a 19th-century streetcar in Lisbon derailed and crashed during the evening rush hour.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
The cause of the accident was not immediately known, although the car appeared to have derailed, which a source from the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment told local media may have been caused by a loose cable leading to brake failure.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
André Marques was killed when the tram derailed during evening rush hour in Lisbon, Portugal and went careening into a building, Sitra (Transport Workers' Union) announced this afternoon.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Despite opposition from Democrats — including a quorum break that derailed an earlier special session — Republican lawmakers successfully ushered in a new congressional map that positions Republicans to pick up five seats in Congress.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025
At least 16 people were killed and several injured after the carriage of a funicular – a type of railway that travels up and down steep slopes – derailed in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
And what heartbreaking twist derailed their emotional reunion back in 2020?
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
The change has derailed many of those students’ graduation plans and, for some, made higher education completely inaccessible.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
Climate shocks, conflict, deepening inequality, and shrinking aid flows have derailed progress, while fragmented governance and political short-termism have left the global food system dangerously exposed.
—Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
The cause of the accident was not immediately known, although the car appeared to have derailed, which a source from the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment told local media may have been caused by a loose cable leading to brake failure.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
André Marques was killed when the tram derailed during evening rush hour in Lisbon, Portugal and went careening into a building, Sitra (Transport Workers' Union) announced this afternoon.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Despite opposition from Democrats — including a quorum break that derailed an earlier special session — Republican lawmakers successfully ushered in a new congressional map that positions Republicans to pick up five seats in Congress.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025
At least 16 people were killed and several injured after the carriage of a funicular – a type of railway that travels up and down steep slopes – derailed in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon on Wednesday evening.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
And what heartbreaking twist derailed their emotional reunion back in 2020?
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
The change has derailed many of those students’ graduation plans and, for some, made higher education completely inaccessible.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
Climate shocks, conflict, deepening inequality, and shrinking aid flows have derailed progress, while fragmented governance and political short-termism have left the global food system dangerously exposed.
—Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed
Verb
-
No smear campaign distracted them.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Toward the end of the first set and beginning of the second, Anisimova appeared distracted by the lights and the roof, which were closed due to heavy rain in New York.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Daskalakis was disturbed by Kennedy’s comments that chickens that survive H5N1 bird flu are genetically superior and that the stronger children who get measles will survive.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
On another job in an extravagant mansion, he’s disturbed by a loud noise upstairs.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
China's nuclear arsenal has especially alarmed Washington and its allies.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Yet more investors are growing alarmed by efforts by the current administration to oust members of the Fed board of governors for new appointees.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And she couldn’t be bothered to start things up again.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
-
No one has ever bothered me for doing this.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There will be a temptation because of his height to draw parallels with Moyes’ use of Marouane Fellaini and Soucek, two key pillars of his Everton and West Ham sides, but where Rohl is concerned, his size can be deceptive.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Trevor Lawrence will have added pressure to get back to elite status as far as quarterbacking is concerned.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Such incidents, in the past, would have had her run home, and write about them furiously in her journal, worried that forgetting them would erase the blessings corresponded to it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Luka’s policy change was motivated in part by regulatory pressure, especially in Italy, where officials worried that Replika posed a risk to minors and emotionally fragile users.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Robert Bianco, a longtime TV critic for USA Today, emphasized how strongly Levin supported him even when Bianco’s reviews angered Levin’s sources.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Platner also worked as a contractor for Constellis, a successor to the security company Blackwater, which has angered some online activists.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This particular finding presents a more nuanced framing of gun violence and challenges dominant narratives about Chicago’s violence that have plagued the city’s reputation for decades.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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The study also pinpointed a bacterium that plagued these colossal ice age creatures.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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