Derail for Dummies
verb
pronunciation: di'reɪlWhat does Derail really mean?
Hey there, so "derail" is a word that we use when something gets off track or loses its way. It's like when a train goes off the tracks and can't keep moving forward. So, when we say something gets "derailed," it means that it gets thrown off course or distracted from its original path.
For example, imagine you're trying to study for a test, but then your friend invites you to play video games. If you get distracted and start playing instead of studying, you could say that your studying got "derailed" because it got off track from your original goal.
Now, "derail" also has another meaning. It can also mean to cause something to fail or to prevent it from succeeding. So, if a plan or a project gets derailed, it means that something happened that stopped it from being successful.
Like, let's say you're organizing a class picnic, but then it starts raining really heavily, so you have to cancel the picnic. In that case, you could say that the picnic got "derailed" because the rain prevented it from happening as planned.
So, to sum it up, "derail" means to get off track or off course, or to fail or be prevented from succeeding. I hope this helps clear things up! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
For example, imagine you're trying to study for a test, but then your friend invites you to play video games. If you get distracted and start playing instead of studying, you could say that your studying got "derailed" because it got off track from your original goal.
Now, "derail" also has another meaning. It can also mean to cause something to fail or to prevent it from succeeding. So, if a plan or a project gets derailed, it means that something happened that stopped it from being successful.
Like, let's say you're organizing a class picnic, but then it starts raining really heavily, so you have to cancel the picnic. In that case, you could say that the picnic got "derailed" because the rain prevented it from happening as planned.
So, to sum it up, "derail" means to get off track or off course, or to fail or be prevented from succeeding. I hope this helps clear things up! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
Revised and Fact checked by Megan Brown on 2023-11-15 06:13:25
Derail In a sentece
Learn how to use Derail inside a sentece
- The train derailed when it went off the tracks on a sharp curve.
- His plans for the party were derailed when it started raining heavily.
- The project was derailed when the main team member got sick and couldn't work for a month.
- I was about to finish the puzzle, but then my cat came and derailed the whole thing by jumping on the table.
- The quarterback's injury derailed the team's chances of winning the championship.
Derail Synonyms
Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.
Derail Hypernyms
Words that are more generic than the original word.