derail
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to come off the tracks, or to cause a train to do so.
v.to cause a locomotive or train to leave the rails; also used intransitively for the event itself.
Simple“The heavy snow managed to derail the freight train just outside the city.”
In context“Investigators are still trying to determine whether the faulty switch was enough to derail the locomotive at such a low speed.”
UsageUsed both transitively (something derails the train) and intransitively (the train derails).
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to stop a process or plan from working by causing a sudden problem.
v.to obstruct or divert a process, plan, or project from its intended course.
Simple“A sudden lack of funding threatened to derail the entire research project.”
In context“The scandal threatened to derail the senator's re-election campaign just weeks before the final vote.”
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to change the subject of a discussion so that the original point is ignored.
v.to divert a conversation or debate from its original topic, often intentionally.
Simple“He tried to derail the meeting by bringing up old arguments about the budget.”
In context“The moderator struggled to keep the debate on track as the candidates repeatedly tried to derail the discussion with personal attacks.”
Synonymssidetrackdivert - 04 C1 Advanced
n.an instance where a conversation or plan is pushed off its path.
n.the act or an instance of diverting a process or discussion from its intended goal.
Simple“The sudden derail of the peace talks surprised the international community.”
In context“The committee noted that the derail of the original proposal was due to a lack of clear communication between departments.”
Synonyms
From French dérailler (“to go off the rails”). Analyzable as de- + rail.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.