Words / C1

di-RAYL/dɪˈreɪl/

To derail is to knock a train off the tracks, or to stop a plan succeeding: talks were derailed, a derailment. Sidetrack is a close cousin for attention; wreck is stronger. Rail is the track. Do not use derail for a minor delay that the plan survived.

Meaning

To cause a train to leave the tracks; also to stop a plan from succeeding.

Examples

• “One leaked email derailed the merger talks.”
• “One leaked slide derailed the funding vote.”
• “Leaves on the line delayed trains; a fallen tree derailed a carriage — the literal sense.”

Good to know

Knock a train or a plan off course. Close (plans): sidetrack. Literal noun: derailment. Not a delay the plan survived.

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