digression
noun
di·gres·sion
dī-ˈgre-shən 
də-
1
: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work
Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.—
Willard Sterne Randall
Willard Sterne Randall2
archaic
: a going aside
Examples of digression in a Sentence
the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend
Recent Examples on the Web
Prone to digression and omission, the Narrator is elusive despite his constant chattering.
—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
First, a slight digression: Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver is a wild assemblage of storytelling, colors, lights, and sounds about fictional alien worlds.
—Mindy Sink, The Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2024
The former president, who at age 78 is the oldest person to ever run for president, rambled through many digressions throughout the speech, repeating himself on several points at various times and making false claims.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct. 2024
The Third Realm - A Novel By Karl Ove Knausgaard
As if to make up for the digression, The Third Realm (the title can also translate as The Third Reich—very on-brand for Knausgaard) is almost too closely tied to The Morning Star.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression 
Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024
First, a slight digression: Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver is a wild assemblage of storytelling, colors, lights, and sounds about fictional alien worlds.
—Mindy Sink, The Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2024
The former president, who at age 78 is the oldest person to ever run for president, rambled through many digressions throughout the speech, repeating himself on several points at various times and making false claims.
—Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct. 2024
The Third Realm - A Novel By Karl Ove Knausgaard
As if to make up for the digression, The Third Realm (the title can also translate as The Third Reich—very on-brand for Knausgaard) is almost too closely tied to The Morning Star.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'digression.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near digression
Cite this Entry
“Digression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digression. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
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