derail
/diːˈreɪl/ (bre, ipa) · /diːˈreɪl/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈrāl dē-/ (ame, mw)
derail — 動詞
- 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,
出軌；脫軌
火車離開鐵軌的事件
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.
大雨沖毀路軌後，貨運列車在 Hiro 的村莊附近出軌了。
intransitive: train derailed
A fallen branch derailed two carriages just outside Élise's station last Tuesday.
一根掉落的樹枝上週二讓兩節車廂在 Élise 的車站外脫軌。
transitive: subject causes derailment
Mauricio felt a sharp jolt as the front car derailed on the icy mountain pass.
當第一節車廂在結冰的山路上出軌時，Mauricio 感受到一陣劇烈搖晃。
Three passenger carriages were derailed by a buckled rail outside the old steelworks.
三節載客車廂因舊鋼鐵廠外彎曲的鐵軌而脫軌。
- 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
打亂；破壞
讓計畫或進程中斷無法繼續
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.
一封外流的電子郵件差點打亂了兩國政府之間的和平談判。
object: peace talks / negotiations
Ziad's sudden illness derailed the family's plans to spend summer in Beirut.
Ziad 突然生病，打亂了家人到貝魯特過暑假的計畫。
object: plans / a plan
One angry tweet from Dario nearly derailed the company's quiet merger discussions.
Dario 一則憤怒的推文，差點破壞了公司低調進行的併購討論。
Beatrix worried that a single bad exam result might derail her career in medicine.
Beatrix 擔心一次糟糕的考試成績可能會毀掉她在醫學界的前途。
The minister insisted that no protest would derail the new housing project.
部長堅稱沒有任何抗議能破壞這項新住宅計畫。
- 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.