derail

verb

de·​rail di-ˈrāl How to pronounce derail (audio)
dē-
derailed; derailing; derails

transitive verb

1
: to cause to run off the rails
2
a
: to obstruct the progress of : frustrate
security problems derailed the tour
b
: to upset the stability or composure of
divorce … can seriously derail an employeeJoanne Gordon

intransitive verb

: to leave the rails
derailment noun

Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow. The train was derailed by heavy snow.
Recent Examples on the Web Beijing fears that a Trump win on Nov. 5 would result in an all-out trade war — extending the one Trump launched in his first term — and derail its efforts to put a sluggish economy back on track. Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 From the sidelines as a candidate, Trump has already irritated some Republican lawmakers after derailing a bipartisan emergency spending deal that would have significantly overhauled border and migrant policy. USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2024 Eagle Pass, Texas — President Biden used his State of the Union remarks on Thursday to forcefully call on Republican lawmakers in Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration compromise that stalled last month, accusing them of derailing the proposal for political reasons. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 An assortment of chemicals spilled and caught fire after the train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023. Josh Funk, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024 Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza have, however, derailed the process. Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 But injuries and inconsistency have mostly derailed Andujar’s career path every since. Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 Conversely, men score higher than women on dark side personality traits, such narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and aggression (especially unprovoked), which account for much of the toxic and destructive behaviors displayed by powerful leaders - usually male - who derail. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Hoskins cited the last time the FRA was set for renewal in 2021, when a group of hard-right Senators derailed the bill over the same pro-life measures at issue this session. Anna Sago, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'derail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French dérailler to throw off the track, from dé- de- + rail, from English

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of derail was in 1850

Dictionary Entries Near derail

Cite this Entry

“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derail. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

derail

verb
de·​rail di-ˈrā(ə)l How to pronounce derail (audio)
: to cause to run off the rails
a train derailed by heavy snow
derailment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on derail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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