as in to wander
to speak or write about something that is different from the main subject being discussed
He digressed so often that it was hard to follow what he was saying. If I can digress for a moment, I'd like to briefly mention her earlier films.
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Recent Examples of digress
Short chapters often begin in the present and then digress into episodes from the narrator’s mostly stable, untroubled past.
—
Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
By criminalizing certain interpretations of history, Putin is taking aim less at the West than at domestic figures, who, faced with the threat of prosecution, will hesitate to digress from the official narrative of the pre–World War II Soviet Union, for example.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2020
As the immediate gratification from short-term gains may digress us from the long-term impact of nudging, the process should unfold organically.
—Harshit Jain, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
At another Trump barn burner, the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson digressed into a lengthy pornographic reverie about a father spanking his daughter.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
By following Penelope, a heroine who’s not a Bridgerton by blood, and digressing from focusing on swoon-worthy matchmaking, the show scrutinized the ton’s priorities and, by extension, its own appeal.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 13 June 2024
The series percolated with the idiosyncratic sensibilities of its creators like few before it, unafraid to digress from the obligations of conventional plotting in order to indulge in pure storytelling, character development, imagery and atmosphere.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
By criminalizing certain interpretations of history, Putin is taking aim less at the West than at domestic figures, who, faced with the threat of prosecution, will hesitate to digress from the official narrative of the pre–World War II Soviet Union, for example.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2020
As the immediate gratification from short-term gains may digress us from the long-term impact of nudging, the process should unfold organically.
—Harshit Jain, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
At another Trump barn burner, the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson digressed into a lengthy pornographic reverie about a father spanking his daughter.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
By following Penelope, a heroine who’s not a Bridgerton by blood, and digressing from focusing on swoon-worthy matchmaking, the show scrutinized the ton’s priorities and, by extension, its own appeal.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 13 June 2024
The series percolated with the idiosyncratic sensibilities of its creators like few before it, unafraid to digress from the obligations of conventional plotting in order to indulge in pure storytelling, character development, imagery and atmosphere.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digress
Verb
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For nonmembers, who can enter at 9 a.m., the event represents a great time to wander the gardens, buy plants and seek inspiration from gardening experts.—
Patrick Connolly,
Orlando Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
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Let your mind wander over the prompts without judging what comes up.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But staying focused on your long-term goals and strategy always outperforms quick, short-term wins that might deviate from your vision.—
Christoffer Bouet,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
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Even before her tweets resurfaced, the Emilia Pérez star had begun deviating from the film’s standard promotional press campaign by chiding Torres’s social-media strategy.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Friedland builds her drama through sharp honesty, and tough as its material may be, few films are so tonally flexible, so able to turn on a dime: stray moments of tenderness, humility, even absurdity poke through, with a love and care for Ruth shown by characters and creators alike.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
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With the brand’s eponymous founder sitting in the front row beside revered Calvin Klein models Kate Moss and Christy Turlington, the show strayed slightly from its typical adherence to minimalistic designs and streamlined silhouettes.—
Elizabeth Grace Coyne,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Digress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digress. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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