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
The event was derailed by a series of setbacks — including heavy rains that made a mess of the campground area where revelers complained of intolerable conditions and barely edible meals like cheese sandwiches.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
The United States has a strong interest in derailing that country’s ambitions while limiting the need for future American military interventions in the region.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
What’s discussed less often is how these medical challenges intertwine with financial ones, often draining savings, derailing careers, and reshaping futures.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The diminished interest in the UFL coincides with a labor dispute that threatened to derail the start of the season.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
The United States has a strong interest in derailing that country’s ambitions while limiting the need for future American military interventions in the region.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
What’s discussed less often is how these medical challenges intertwine with financial ones, often draining savings, derailing careers, and reshaping futures.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
The diminished interest in the UFL coincides with a labor dispute that threatened to derail the start of the season.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
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Too often, however, the temptation to blame individuals or groups for housing ills distracts from the actual debate and prevents all stakeholders from discovering their mutual interests.—
Matt Frazier,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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The scientists now plan on developing the technology further, which will include boosting its ability to filter out distracting background noises such as those produced by body movements.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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No doubt, climate change threatens to muck it all up, disturbing patterns that have existed for centuries.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
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This tactic—arresting judges for their courtroom decisions—has disturbing echoes in other countries where judicial independence has been undermined: in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey, and in other places where democracy has given way to executive supremacy.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow was popular enough that fans wanted a solo story, but the studio didn't bother to make it until her character was already dead in the major timeline, then skipped the theatrical release, which Johansson sued them about.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night in Sacramento, 120-106; the Mavs led by more than 20 points in the first half, and the Kings never bothered to muster much of a run to make this interesting.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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According to Breen’s brother-in-law, Corey Feist, many people worried that any move to take care of their mental health could affect their jobs.—
Christina Ray Stanton,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
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Moran worries that Alvarado, a diabetic breast cancer survivor who suffers from high blood pressure and needs to eat and drink frequently, will have poor access to her medication in detention — or after deportation.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Still, researchers are clear to reassure people there is no need to be alarmed about the continent hollowing out or there being any sudden landscape changes anytime soon.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Apr. 2025
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While bombarded by public service announcements encouraging me to save the whales, feed starving African children, and conserve freshwater, none alarmed me quite as much as those that advertised the hole in the ozone layer.—
Lauren Stienstra,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The incident report was issued Monday at 3:57 p.m., and the last update concerning this incident was provided on Monday at 4:01 p.m.—
Kansas City Star Bot,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2025
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The season went from concerning to disastrous under Van Nistelrooy.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jalen Brunson endured physical play in the Knicks’ 100-94 Game 2 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on Monday, alarming fans with another brief but unsettling late-game exit.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
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And while terrifying movies are typically critic-proof at the box office, audiences tend to leave the theater feeling unsettled, which translates to poor exit polls.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Are there certain external factors or stimuli that are more likely to agitate someone with dementia?—
Christopher Bergland,
Verywell Health,
24 Apr. 2025
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Stop the Chop, a group organized to reduce helicopter noise, has been agitating for several years to ban nonessential helicopters from flying over the New York metropolitan area.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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