derail
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Cause to run off the tracks.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dihraylSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
dɪˈɹeɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Cause to run off the tracks
“They had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste.”
transitive
To cause to come off the tracks.
intransitivefigurative
To deviate from the previous course or direction.
noun
An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Cause to run off the tracks
Used this way, derail is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“They had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use derail
- “The train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks.”verb
- “They had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.