sidetracks

verb

present tense third-person singular of sidetrack
as in deviates

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sidetracks
  1. deviates
  2. averts
  3. diverts
  4. deflects
  5. swerves
  6. redirects
  7. switches
  8. shifts
Verb
  • The Netflix series gently deviates from the source material at times, including swapping the book’s Lord Caterham for Lady Caterham, played by Helena Bonham Carter.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Her position deviates from her religion as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which publicly opposes the ballot measure.
    — Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of deviates
Verb
  • But multiple studies have shown the flu vaccine reduces the disease’s severity and averts hospitalizations and deaths.
    — Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • At every save point, the game forces James to stare at his reflection, and after the story’s plot twist, James averts his eyes, unable to face his own guilt.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of averts
Verb
  • Prop 137 diverts money from the state's current sales tax on sporting goods to conservation, wildfire risk mitigation and outdoor recreation programs.
    — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of diverts
Verb
  • Those that have one benefit from a natural shield that deflects disruptive energy.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This imaging works by measuring how rock deflects the cosmic particles flying at these objects.
    — Jesse Liu, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of deflects
Verb
  • Then secrets emerge about Chan-yeong, a 12-year-old boy the family has only ever seen as the culprit, and the case swerves.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Surveillance video obtained by ABC7 New York shows two men fighting in the street before gunshots ring out, and a vehicle swerves around the moped, appearing to flee the scene.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of swerves
Verb
  • Goddard’s diminution is part of a broader pivot at NASA as the White House redirects the space agency to put American astronauts on the moon by 2028.
    — Eric Niiler, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • By this time next year, Baltimore could have a brand-new system that redirects non-violent emergency calls to mental health professionals.
    — Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of redirects
Verb
  • These regions, called domains, can interact as the device switches between states.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Relative harms vary significantly when talking about a current tobacco smoker who switches to an e-cigarette compared with a nonsmoker who starts vaping.
    — Emma Fenske, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of switches
Verb
  • The approach shifts the timing mechanism from electrons to the atomic nucleus.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
  • El Niño also shifts rainfall patterns globally, raising the chances for destructive flooding in some parts of the world.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of shifts
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.

Browse Nearby Words

sidetracking
sidetracks
sideward
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sidetracks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sidetracks. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All