as in bothering
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 derailing
The shutdown is causing an information vacuum, derailing critical government data that investors, economists, CEOs and Fed officials rely on to make decisions.
—
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Rather than enhancing diplomacy, the operation risked derailing talks and escalating conflict.
—Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Resorting to an omnibus is now common, even though it is reviled by many rank-and-file lawmakers who resent being deprived of the ability to resist individual spending provisions without derailing the sole vehicle for averting a shutdown.
—Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL before the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, derailing the team's plans for the upcoming season.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As Maggie’s complaint plays out — potentially derailing the careers of multiple faculty members — Alma drifts away from her husband, Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), and her friend Kim (Chloë Sevigny), a psychiatrist on campus.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
But the decision to launch the attack on Qatari soil reverberated instantly through the region and inside the White House, where officials said the strike risked derailing delicate diplomacy.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Smith-Schuster lasted just seven snaps before missing the next three games, derailing any momentum.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
However, gut feelings and guesswork will only result in unreliable data, derailing your forecast and robbing you of the ability to anticipate revenue, manage resources and make the informed decisions necessary to drive your company’s growth.
—Julie Thomas, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
Rather than enhancing diplomacy, the operation risked derailing talks and escalating conflict.
—Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Resorting to an omnibus is now common, even though it is reviled by many rank-and-file lawmakers who resent being deprived of the ability to resist individual spending provisions without derailing the sole vehicle for averting a shutdown.
—Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL before the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, derailing the team's plans for the upcoming season.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As Maggie’s complaint plays out — potentially derailing the careers of multiple faculty members — Alma drifts away from her husband, Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), and her friend Kim (Chloë Sevigny), a psychiatrist on campus.
—Ramin Setoodeh, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
But the decision to launch the attack on Qatari soil reverberated instantly through the region and inside the White House, where officials said the strike risked derailing delicate diplomacy.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Smith-Schuster lasted just seven snaps before missing the next three games, derailing any momentum.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
However, gut feelings and guesswork will only result in unreliable data, derailing your forecast and robbing you of the ability to anticipate revenue, manage resources and make the informed decisions necessary to drive your company’s growth.
—Julie Thomas, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailing
Verb
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The injury that will sideline Herro to begin this season is one that had been bothering him for a few months.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
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Even scrambling around, his knee was bothering him.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several moves Paramount has made since Ellison’s team took over have proved distracting to CBS News.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
6 Oct. 2025
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The whole idea is to choose something that isn't too distracting.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When a school principal (Ashley Padilla) and a teacher (Mikey Day) reprimand a student (Hernandez) for disturbing drawings of him attacking the principal, the student’s father (Bad Bunny) comes in, and Padilla’s principal, immediately smitten, changes course to hitting on the student’s father.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
5 Oct. 2025
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Something, the researchers said, must be disturbing these orbits and tilting them.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The idea of Maggie’s untrustworthiness has already been planted in an early scene, mid-party, involving a bathroom cabinet and a hidden envelope conveniently filled with old news clippings concerning dark secrets in Alma’s past.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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Some exceptions are expected to be included in the rule concerning avoiding conflict with appraisal requirements or other state laws,, including if the award was made without authority, is not compliant with the appraisal provision, or if fraud, accident, or a material mistake was involved.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But also alarming is that government officials don’t seem to take seriously the need to justify the reasons for their use of force, which should only be wielded to protect the rights of Americans.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
22 Sep. 2025
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Bond yields leaking higher since the Fed cut rates a quarter-point on Wednesday is not atypical, and — so far — is not alarming equity markets, inflation watchdogs or fiscal hawks.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thankfully, with the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni, worrying about cleaning up has become a thing of the past.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
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Hurricanes far out into the ocean give forecasters the opportunity to observe the powerful heat machines without worrying about catastrophic landfalls.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The new program, Train SMART, also risks angering a network of grassroots chapters and gun violence prevention volunteers at Everytown.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kiefer Sherwood Sherwood will open the season agitating the opposition on the forecheck and threatening as an against-the-grain attacking option in the bottom six.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, those on the right are agitating to declare left wing activists as terrorists.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailing. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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