derails

verb

present tense third-person singular of derail
as in distracts
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 derails Such contract negotiations can be uncomfortable, creating tension that derails a team. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2026 This is obviously terrible for the Giants and seemingly derails their season, even after only two games. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Check local donation guidelines before loading the truck Nothing derails a donation day faster than showing up with a truckload of furniture only to be turned away. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026 That leaves limited instruments for managing the risk that one missing link derails an entire corridor. — Bright Simons, semafor.com, 13 July 2026 Having antiseptics, bandages, and pain relief on hand means a small mishap never derails a beach day or a hike. — Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 The set dressing on the balloon task temporarily derails the episode. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026 To be sure, Amazon's use of multiple launch providers reduces the risk that any single launch failure derails its plans. — Paulina Likos,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 29 May 2026 But after a cyclone derails a sailing trip, Callista becomes stranded on an island for over a year — alongside Darren's ex-army medic cousin, Dominic. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derails
  1. distracts
  2. disturbs
  3. bothers
  4. worries
  5. angers
  6. alarms
  7. concerns
  8. unsettles
Verb
  • Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou have both weighed in, and Fortune has questioned whether her new persona distracts from the real story.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Similarly, Sudan hopes that internal conflict in Ethiopia distracts Addis from its support of the rapid support forces militia in Sudan’s war.
    — Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracts
Verb
  • Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.
    — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Vibration disturbs the natural sediments in wine, flattening the flavor and aging it prematurely.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbs
Verb
  • The film was produced by the Zagha bothers for Avanti Pictures alongside Elsa Reyes and Películas V’s Valentín Javier Diment and Vanesa Pagani.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Television doesn’t lack for comedies that deliver biting satire and cogent commentary — that are, in fact, so committed to commentary that nobody bothers to even include jokes.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bothers
Verb
  • Abdi worries that Miller’s latest promotion will further anti-immigrant policies, which have long painted Iranians and other immigrant communities as threats.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Comen understands the desire for answers but worries that interpreting complex medical information without a physician’s guidance can heighten fear.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of worries
Verb
  • Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party champion Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position that frequently angers Beijing, which views the island as Chinese territory.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of angers
Verb
  • That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve).
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Definition of alarms
Verb
  • The case concerns the Israeli military’s bombing of a residential building in Beirut on November 26, 2024, just a few hours before a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was due to come into effect.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
  • What concerns me is the gap that can open between enterprises with access to the same technology.
    — Todd Bernson, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of concerns
Verb
  • Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.
    — Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of unsettles

Browse Nearby Words

derailing
derails
derange
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Cite this Entry

“Derails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derails. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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