Dictionary › D › derail
derail
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As a noun, derail means an instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic. As a verb, it means cause to come off the tracks.
Meanings of derail
6 meaningsnoun
An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
Synonym of derailer: A device placed on railway tracks in order to cause a train to derail.
verb
To cause to come off the tracks.
“The train was destroyed when it was derailed by the collision.”
To come off the tracks.
figurativeTo deviate from the previous course or direction.
“The conversation derailed once James brought up politics.”
figurativeTo cause to deviate from a set course or direction.
“The protesting students derailed the professor's lecture.”
Run off or leave the rails
“the train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks”
Similar: jump
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).