derail

verb

de·​rail di-ˈrāl 

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 employee

—Joanne Gordon

intransitive verb

: to leave the rails

derailment

di-ˈrāl-mənt 

dē-

noun

Synonyms

• agitate
• ail
• alarm
• alarum
• bother
• concern
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• disquiet
• distemper
• distract
• distress
• disturb
• exercise
• flurry
• frazzle
• freak (out)
• fuss
• hagride
• perturb
• undo
• unhinge
• unsettle
• upset
• weird out
• worry

Examples of derail in a Sentence

The train derailed in heavy snow.

The train was derailed by heavy snow.

Recent Examples on the Web

Named for the bookkeeper who kept the correspondence, the Mulligan letters derailed Blaine’s nomination and haunted him for the rest of his career. —Robert B. Mitchell / Made By History, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024

At the civic center, a birthday party was derailed Saturday when floodwaters began pouring onto the dance floor. —Walter Berry and Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024

The other day, in Madison Square Park, Gadsby was derailed mid-thought by the sound of a passerby rustling a paper bag. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

Its ascent was derailed a bit in recent years as fragrance lovers became fixated on all things gourmand— vanilla scents, to be specific. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

derail

verb

de·​rail di-ˈrā(ə)l 

: to cause to run off the rails

a train derailed by heavy snow

derailment

-mənt 

noun