derailed; derailing; derails
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
Joanne Gordon
: to leave the rails
Examples of derail in a Sentence
The train derailed in heavy snow.
The train was derailed by heavy snow.
Recent Examples on the Web
In related news, the director of California’s recycling agency, Rachel Wagoner, helped write the single-use plastics law — before going to work for the plastics and packaging companies that critics say are attempting to derail the law.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
By Greg Stohr | Bloomberg The US Supreme Court refused to consider an unusual bid by 19 Republican-run states to derail a set of lawsuits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate change.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025
That was the case on Friday night on the Canadian west coast, as a late mistake by the Minnesota Wild derailed an otherwise exemplary effort, and the Vancouver Canucks escaped with a 3-1 win.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2025
But such tensions need not derail a push for peace—which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people clearly want.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
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Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
By Greg Stohr | Bloomberg The US Supreme Court refused to consider an unusual bid by 19 Republican-run states to derail a set of lawsuits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate change.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2025
That was the case on Friday night on the Canadian west coast, as a late mistake by the Minnesota Wild derailed an otherwise exemplary effort, and the Vancouver Canucks escaped with a 3-1 win.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2025
But such tensions need not derail a push for peace—which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people clearly want.
—Stephen Hadley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for derail
Cite this Entry
“Derail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derail. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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