derail
/diːˈreɪl/ (bre, ipa) · /diːˈreɪl/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈrāl dē-/ (ame, mw)
derail — verb
- derailpresent simple I / you / we / they
- derailshe / she / it
- derailedpast simple
- derailing-ing form
1. to come off the metal rails on which a train moves, or to cause that to happen,
to come off the metal rails on which a train moves, or to cause that to happen, usually because of an accident.
The freight train derailed near Hiro's village after heavy rain washed away the tracks.
intransitive: train derailed
A fallen branch derailed two carriages just outside Élise's station last Tuesday.
transitive: subject causes derailment
Mauricio felt a sharp jolt as the front car derailed on the icy mountain pass.
Three passenger carriages were derailed by a buckled rail outside the old steelworks.
- jump the tracks
informal phrase for the same event
- run off the rails
neutral phrase; can also be used figuratively for people
文法句型
derail (something)
be derailed
用法筆記
Subject is usually a train, carriage, or wagon. The transitive use names the cause (a fault, an object, weather) as the subject.
常見錯誤
2. to cause an effort, plan, or set of negotiations to stop moving forward, often b
to cause an effort, plan, or set of negotiations to stop moving forward, often by introducing a problem or distraction at a bad moment.
A leaked email almost derailed the peace talks between the two governments.
object: peace talks / negotiations
Ziad's sudden illness derailed the family's plans to spend summer in Beirut.
object: plans / a plan
One angry tweet from Dario nearly derailed the company's quiet merger discussions.
Beatrix worried that a single bad exam result might derail her career in medicine.
The minister insisted that no protest would derail the new housing project.
- scupper
British informal; emphasises ruining a plan entirely
- disrupt
broader; covers any kind of interruption, not just stopping progress
- torpedo
informal; suggests deliberate damage
- throw off course
more neutral; the project can still recover
- advance
to help a plan move forward
- facilitate
formal; to make a process easier
文法句型
derail + noun (plan/process/talks/career)
用法筆記
Object is typically something planned or in progress (talks, project, career, recovery). The cause is often a small or unexpected event disrupting a larger effort. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense never refers to literal trains.