derailing

verb

present participle of derail
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

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 derailing Adding sweeteners, Ellison eventually convinced the Warner board to agree to a combination, derailing a WBD-Netflix deal. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 The two countries failed to reach a trade deal last Friday, with each side blaming the other for derailing three days of intensive negotiations. — Desiree Adib, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 One of Gates’ fears about letting AI continue unchecked is that society will turn against it entirely, derailing its potential to improve humanity, particularly through advances in science and health. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Observers note a similar transactional caution in Trump stalling on a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan—the largest ever—to avoid derailing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 His filing instead describes the intervention as a way to prevent a potential dispute unique to Harwood from derailing the removal proceeding. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 One tornado slammed into the town of Ransom, derailing several freight train cars, while the other touched down north of Streator, flattening several homes. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Ed Burke played a key role in derailing her 2019 campaign for mayor. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 The rulings wiped out the dreams of thousands of Italian descendants who had been hoping to achieve citizenship, derailing life plans and splitting families apart. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailing
  1. bothering
  2. distracting
  3. disturbing
  4. concerning
  5. alarming
  6. worrying
  7. angering
  8. agitating
Verb
  • The goal is not to solve what’s bothering you but to let the thoughts move through.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Lane Kiffin will stroll off the LSU bus later this afternoon, acting as if none of the noise is bothering him.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • The sets have too many doors, the scenes have a delirious number of extras and the actors yell their lines over the distracting clatter of crackling fireplaces, beeping machines and ticking clocks.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The text was crisp and easy to read, the matte display minimized distracting reflections, and the ink paper mode made reading comfortable.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • By mimicking the oarfish’s fluid control, Shepherd’s team aims to construct large, silent robotic monitors capable of observing fragile ocean ecosystems without ever disturbing the wildlife inside them.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Baldwin alleged that decision was just one part of a pattern of disturbing prosecutorial abuses, including presenting false information to the grand jury, failing to disclose two firearms reports, and filing an unlawful gun enhancement.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Verb
  • That’s carried over into the first three games, a concerning trend for the Patriots.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The latest OpenAI incidents did not appear to involve the disclosure of any non-public information but were concerning enough for the company to warn the federal agencies involved.
    — Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of concerning
Verb
  • But the Treasury market’s rapid deterioration is now alarming those who previously downplayed the risks.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The constant delay-of-game calls, false starts and inability to get lined up are a special level of alarming for a quarterback who entered the NFL 10 years ago.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of alarming
Verb
  • The director likens his own role on the trip to that of Bill, who is slowly driven to madness by worrying about a particular child, the class punching bag Kenneth (Olof Olingdahl).
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Horse racing makes Heidi Sheridan nervous, worrying whether the animals will get hurt.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of worrying
Verb
  • After a gig in Brighton, England in December 1981, the Kinks singer smashed a glass against the wall backstage, angering Honeyman-Scott, who wound up punching Davies as a fight ensued.
    — Rachel DeSantis, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of angering
Verb
  • By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further.
    — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • After many decades of organizing, speaking, writing, agitating — and weathering the constant controversy that courted — Steinem kept going.
    — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of agitating

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Cite this Entry

“Derailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailing. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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