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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 derail
Rising prices could pressure household budgets and derail consumer spending if Americans pull back on discretionary purchases, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee told CBS News earlier this month.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
Israel’s massive attacks in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon this week are threatening to derail a fragile ceasefire with the US and Iran.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
An ankle injury in that season debut against the Florida Gators derailed that.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Israel and Lebanon are set to hold direct talks in Washington next week, as Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah threatens to derail the US-Iran ceasefire.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
Israel’s massive attacks in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon this week are threatening to derail a fragile ceasefire with the US and Iran.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
An ankle injury in that season debut against the Florida Gators derailed that.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Israel and Lebanon are set to hold direct talks in Washington next week, as Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah threatens to derail the US-Iran ceasefire.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
-
Administrators found that without their phones, students were using school laptops for distracting activities like watching YouTube or playing games, rather than learning.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Do something small to distract from the heaviness of burnout.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rose had collected art her whole life, cared a lot about her paintings, and was disturbed, obviously, by this fact that wasn’t a fact.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Marcet’s intention was certainly not to disturb the religious faith of her young readers, most of whom would have been raised on a literal understanding of the biblical creation story.—
Kathryn Hughes,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Heat’s third matchup of the season against the Raptors didn’t go well either, as Toronto’s length on the defensive end again bothered Miami.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Along the way, Melton strained his left thumb — and that clearly bothered him.—
Ron Kroichick,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Murray worries about upholding his best friend’s wishes.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Horner also talked about being concerned about losing his job, wanting to see his child and worrying about what was going to happen to him, Espinoza said.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Aside from the primary deficit, economists are also alarmed by the interest payments now required to service the debt—estimated to come in at more than $1 trillion this year.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Rajput rulers of the Shivalik Hills, alarmed by the growing Sikh influence in the region, had sought Aurangzeb’s assistance after failed attempts to dislodge the Guru from Anandpur, Punjab.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The second dismissed count concerned an allegation that Panini attempted to induce high-profile 2023 and 2024 NFL Draft prospects to breach their exclusive licensing deals with Fanatics.—
Larry Holder,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
That top speed lands this bike squarely in minibike territory, as far as I'm concerned.—
Joe Salas
April 07,
New Atlas,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Eisenberg’s compositional intelligence has a near-merciless quality, zeroing in on feelings of calm and unsettling them.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The conflict has unsettled the housing market across the country.—
Brad Hamilton,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That is propaganda, not just pushed by the groups who agitated for this specific war but also sewn by the massive war machine in DC that’s spent decades inflating threats to justify its continued existence.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Pour in egg mixture and immediately stir with a heatproof rubber spatula, incorporating ham and gently agitating eggs, and running it along edges until sides begin to bubble, about 30 seconds.—
Inés Anguiano,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
