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# derail

verb (derail, derails, derailed, derailing)

«derail» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. When a train derails, its wheels come off the rails. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#m1)
2. To derail a plan or a conversation is to stop it going the way it should. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#m2)

### In the lessons

In safety lessons, never put things on railway lines — they can derail a train. In stories, a derailed train is a disaster or adventure. In everyday life, a plan can be derailed by bad weather or an argument. Phrases: «the train derailed», «derail a plan», «get derailed».

### Examples

- The train derailed after heavy snow blocked the line. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x1)
- Never put stones on the rails; they could derail a train. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x2)
- The storm derailed our plans for the picnic. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x3)
- Don't let one bad mark derail your hard work. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x4)
- The talk was derailed by silly jokes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x5)
- Workers checked the track after the train was derailed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x6)
- A fallen tree almost derailed the goods train. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/#x7)

### Note

«De-» means off or away: de-rail = off the rails. Noun: «derailment». Safety: railway lines are dangerous; never play on or near them. Not a number word.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «derail» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/derail/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«derail» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/derail.html) on Mova free.