as in to distract
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
according to police, the suspect had been derailed in recent months by mounting financial problems
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Recent Examples of derail
State of play: The 49ers started the year hoping to return to the Super Bowl, but the injury bug showed up early and often, derailing any chance of a deep postseason run.
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Ross Terrell, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
The 2024 season was derailed by injuries and missed opportunities.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2025
Next Season Rose's run to basketball immortality was eventually derailed by an ACL tear in 2011-12 and a meniscus tear in 2013-14.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
This discovery, however, doesn't mean astronomers will hastily draw conclusions or that the search for life on exoplanets will be derailed by false positive biosignatures.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for derail 
Ross Terrell, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
The 2024 season was derailed by injuries and missed opportunities.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 6 Jan. 2025
Next Season Rose's run to basketball immortality was eventually derailed by an ACL tear in 2011-12 and a meniscus tear in 2013-14.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
This discovery, however, doesn't mean astronomers will hastily draw conclusions or that the search for life on exoplanets will be derailed by false positive biosignatures.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for derail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derail
Verb
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While performing in Melbourne, Australia as part of the band's Music of the Spheres World Tour in November, Martin seemingly got distracted by a group of screaming fans and stepped backwards into an open trapdoor.Lori A Bashian Fox News, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
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In the early 1800s, as Manhattan’s streets were being laid out, a number of the planners were distracted by a different job: connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.The Upshot Staff, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The volcano’s light illuminates a double lenticular cloud, or a UFO-like cloud formation created when a mountain disturbs air flow and creates standing waves above it.Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025
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The restaurant’s owner requested that the police detain the tourist for intoxication and disturbing the public order; on Sunday, Cabo Rojo’s mayor said that the responding officer had been suspended while the case was being investigated.Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The company started to bring on editors who seemed less bothered by the PFC model.Liz Pelly, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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She was not bothered by the 50-degree morning in Pasadena — which, to many of the Southern Californians in attendance, qualified as chilly.Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Others are downbeat and worry that utter obliteration could be afoot.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
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Offer Comfort After experiencing a disaster, whether firsthand or through media images, kids tend to worry about their family's safety or fear that the event will happen again.Tamekia Reece, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The agency said that while there is no cause to be alarmed by news of the polar vortex, people should be prepared for colder temperatures.Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025
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By Jason Gale | Bloomberg As Covid swept across California in early 2020, pediatric infectious diseases physician Karin Nielsen grew alarmed by the crisis erupting in maternity wards.Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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And yet as far as the public was concerned, the company had gone to great lengths to keep the initiative under wraps.Liz Pelly, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
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While some Democrats are confident the party will come together again after a disappointing election, others are concerned few lessons have been learned.Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Beijing’s plans and actions have unsettled many observers in Washington, some of whom worry that China is catching up to the United States, or even leaping ahead.Sam Bresnick, Foreign Affairs, 31 Dec. 2024
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The Browns gave up three first-round picks to go all-in on a quarterback who flopped, and now everything is unsettled.Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Then agitate the rug for a few minutes to remove any leftover debris.Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2025
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Using your fingers, lightly agitate the seeds to loosen them from the membrane.Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near derail
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derail. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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