derail
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause (a train, streetcar, etc.) to run off the rails of a track.
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to cause to fail or become deflected from a purpose; reduce or delay the chances for success or development of.
Being drafted into the army derailed his career for two years.
verb (used without object)
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(of a train, streetcar, etc.) to run off the rails of a track.
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to become derailed; go astray.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- derailment noun
Etymology
Origin of derail
First recorded in 1840–50; from French dérailler, equivalent to dé- negative prefix + -railler, verbal derivative of rail “bar, beam” (from English ); de- rail 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Inflation in Japan’s capital cooled below the central bank’s 2% target for the first time in over a year, but the slowdown is unlikely to derail further interest rate hikes.
One of the dead was hit by the tram as it derailed and the second victim was a passenger, the city's mayor Giuseppe Sala told reporters at the scene.
From Barron's
In the end, Boebert and Johnson did more than briefly derail a deposition.
From Salon
The problems threaten to derail the futures and larger ambitions of both leagues at critical moments.
TOKYO—Inflation in Japan’s capital cooled below the central bank’s 2% target for the first time in over a year, but the slowdown is unlikely to derail further interest rate hikes.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
