Meaning & use
derail
To cause a train to run off its tracks, or to disrupt a plan or process.
See it in a sentence
Heavy flooding caused the freight train to derail near the bridge.
A sudden scandal threatened to derail the senator's reelection campaign.
A note on using this word
The figurative sense, meaning to ruin progress or plans, is now more common than the literal railway meaning.
Words with a similar meaning
disruptsidetrack
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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