as in to distract
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 derail
Since a search committee named Bell the sole finalist on May 18, conservative activists and high-ranking Republican officials have scrutinized his past support for DEI initiatives at Alabama, raising the same concerns that derailed UF’s previous presidential search.
—
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Injuries derailed the Liberty’s hopes of repeating in 2025, but after signing three-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally in free agency and re-signing superstar Sabrina Ionescu to a max contract, New York entered the 2026 season as the title favorites.
—Scott Allen, Time, 9 June 2026
California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter threatened to walk off an interview with a local TV reporter in 2025, derailing her campaign.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
Defense attorney Mark Geragos argued in court that the prosecution would be derailed by the classified information at the center of the case.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Injuries derailed the Liberty’s hopes of repeating in 2025, but after signing three-time All-Star forward Satou Sabally in free agency and re-signing superstar Sabrina Ionescu to a max contract, New York entered the 2026 season as the title favorites.
—Scott Allen, Time, 9 June 2026
California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter threatened to walk off an interview with a local TV reporter in 2025, derailing her campaign.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 9 June 2026
Defense attorney Mark Geragos argued in court that the prosecution would be derailed by the classified information at the center of the case.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
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The campaign further advises that using phones to film or photograph events could create dangerous congestion and distract other passengers.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
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The three cats quickly get distracted, though, by the dangling, bright lightbulb and string hanging above them.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The zoo says that the facility would be about 50 yards from some of its animals and that the noise could disturb its residents, including a leap of leopards that hail originally from Southeast Asia.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
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The lawsuit filed Thursday by Karen Read against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police revealed a long history of disturbing text messages between former police officers Michael Proctor and Sean Goode that allegedly included racial slurs, sexist comments and other offensive material.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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People can decide for themselves whether Wembanyama’s anthem conduct bothers them.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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But at the same time, the people that are bothering me are showing us love.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Helen worried about Pip’s socialization.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The results will ease the concerns of some Democrats who worried about the possibility of a runoff between Kiley and Republican candidate Michael Stansfield, who was in second place until Friday.—
Mathew Miranda
June 9,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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This poor girl no longer has an identity beyond pleasing her male companion, who becomes both stifled by alarmed by this sudden, non-consensual change in personality.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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The closures shrink the countywide advanced voting location network from 18 to 12 voting sites — alarming some Johnson County and city officials and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 2026
Verb
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As far as Fleur is concerned, nothing and nobody else compares to the stack of paper in her hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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For buyers concerned about range anxiety, the results offer a practical benchmark that often proves more useful than manufacturer specifications alone.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
Verb
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In a country to which some came for religious freedom and others were brought to be sold into slavery, the ship unsettled me.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
9 June 2026
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The borrowing is heavily long-dated, reflecting the multi-decade life the companies assign to their data centers, which loads more interest-rate sensitivity onto buyers at a time when the direction of rates is unsettled.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Immerse your berries in the water and gently agitate them.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
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And yet—there is also the Ginsberg who went to Cuba in 1965 to agitate for gay liberation against the homophobic Castro regime, where despite the poet’s own (kind of) Marxism he was expelled.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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