derails

verb

present tense third-person singular of derail
as in distracts
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy according to police, the suspect had been derailed in recent months by mounting financial problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of derails Check local donation guidelines before loading the truck Nothing derails a donation day faster than showing up with a truckload of furniture only to be turned away. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026 That leaves limited instruments for managing the risk that one missing link derails an entire corridor. — Bright Simons, semafor.com, 13 July 2026 Having antiseptics, bandages, and pain relief on hand means a small mishap never derails a beach day or a hike. — Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2026 The set dressing on the balloon task temporarily derails the episode. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026 To be sure, Amazon's use of multiple launch providers reduces the risk that any single launch failure derails its plans. — Paulina Likos,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 29 May 2026 But after a cyclone derails a sailing trip, Callista becomes stranded on an island for over a year — alongside Darren's ex-army medic cousin, Dominic. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026 Fifth derails Burrows For four innings, Burrows resembled the pitcher the Astros saw all spring. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026 Since tomorrow is never promised, many Americans who put off planning could face a health care emergency that derails their travel, leisure and other retirement plans, advisers said. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for derails
  1. distracts
  2. disturbs
  3. bothers
  4. worries
  5. angers
  6. alarms
  7. concerns
  8. unsettles
Verb
  • There’s the studio version, which has some really interesting production, with Meg’s shuddering percussion that eventually grates and distracts, and Jack’s very chunky guitar.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Outer Banks’ success has always rested on an emotional depth that distracts from nonsense plot points and over-the-top escapades.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracts
Verb
  • Traffic between somebody else's router and somebody else's laptop, say in a random coffee shop or an airport, can provide the radio field that your body disturbs to create your specific signature.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
Definition of disturbs
Verb
  • That sequencing bothers people who’ve spent careers being told that data systems need privacy protections designed in, not bolted on after a scandal.
    — Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Kurt's key takeaways What bothers me most about this scam is that criminals are going after people who may have the fewest options to protect themselves.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothers
Verb
  • Instead, the market worries whether such high growth has already been fully priced into stock values or is approaching a growth inflection point.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The beekeeper worries the new warehouse-like facilities will raise his utility bills or change the local environment.
    — Drew Hawkins, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of worries
Verb
  • The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • According to the myth, Agamemnon angers the goddess Artemis by killing one of her sacred deer.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
Definition of angers
Verb
  • That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve).
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Definition of alarms
Verb
  • The issue, also affecting manufacturers like Xiaomi and Xpeng, concerns unsafe emergency door-release systems.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • However, as someone who has been studying Antarctic krill ecology and their role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem for 16 years, what currently concerns me most is how locally concentrated that harvest has become.
    — Kim S. Bernard, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of concerns
Verb
  • Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.
    — Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of unsettles

Browse Nearby Words

derailing
derails
derange
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Cite this Entry

“Derails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derails. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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