DERAIL

Derail

A derail or derailer is a device used to prevent fouling of a rail track by unauthorized movements of trains or unattended rolling stock. It works by derailing the equipment as it rolls over or through the derail. In North American practice, the normal position of a derail is in the derailing position .

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derail

Noun

  1. A device placed on railway tracks causing a train to derail.
    The derail was placed deliberately so that the train would fall into the river.

Verb

  1. To cause to come off the tracks.
    The train was destroyed when it was derailed by the penny.
  2. To come off the tracks.
  3. To deviate from the previous course or direction.
    The conversation derailed once James brought up politics.
  4. To cause to deviate from a set course or direction.
    The protesting students derailed the professor's lecture.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: derail
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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