Link Centre Dictionary

derail

de·rail

UK/ˌdiːˈɹeɪl/ US/dɪˈɹeɪl/ uncommon

verb

1.

cause to run off the tracks

  • “they had planned to derail the trains that carried atomic waste”
2.

run off or leave the rails

  • “the train derailed because a cow was standing on the tracks”
Synonyms

Origin

From French dérailler (“to go off the rails”). Analyzable as de- + rail.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.