An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
Used in a Sentence
derailment
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for derailment.
Editorial note
Elon thinks that taking the company public before then would result in a potential derailment of Mars colonization plans.
Examples15
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of derailment gathered in one view.
An instance of thwarting or frustrating something.
(rail transport) The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for derailment.
noun
An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
noun
An instance of thwarting or frustrating something.
noun
(rail transport) The action of a locomotive or train leaving the rails along which it runs.
noun
(psychiatry) A pattern of discourse (in speech or writing) that is a sequence of unrelated or only remotely related ideas.
Example sentences
Elon thinks that taking the company public before then would result in a potential derailment of Mars colonization plans.
In the 50 years they've been running trains, there's been one (1) derailment due to an earthquake, with zero fatalities.
Every mention of Apple's success, starting with the comment of yours that I replied to, is a derailment.
Had they been working (or the fault communicated properly) and the train not been overloaded, the derailment would likely not have happened.
You're getting downvoted because it's a pointless derailment, not just out of disagreement.
In traditional forums john's comment would be considered a topic derailment.
Not to derail your derailment any further, but hey.
No, people blinding defending ride-sharing is the derailment.
I'm curious -- if you don't mind the derailment -- why not?
Sorry if my whimsical question was a derailment.
Unfortunately YUI3.x was a complete derailment for me.
You can replace the buffer stop with an incline too steep to climb with the available traction at which point their best bet is derailment by going too fast around a turn.
Quote examples
Ah, the "obviously the most important discussion to have about this is what the exact meanings of words are" derailment tactic.
"some how, you feel judged, I wonder why" That's the second time you've tried to use that derailment tactic.
It's one thing to be a classical "we can't win anyway" naysayer, but is's a completely different thing to try to pull an ad hominem derailment, so the question arises: Who are you working for?
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use derailment in a sentence?
Elon thinks that taking the company public before then would result in a potential derailment of Mars colonization plans.
What does derailment mean?
An instance of diverting a conversation or debate from its original topic.
What part of speech is derailment?
derailment is commonly used as noun.