sidetrack
sidetrack Lexical Profile
sidetrack Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To distract or divert someone from an immediate issue, main topic, or intended course of action.
"Please do not let minor formatting details sidetrack you from finishing the research paper."
North American To direct or switch a train from a main railway line onto an auxiliary siding.
"The yardmaster had to sidetrack the delayed cargo train to keep the main corridor clear."
• noun
A deviation or digression from a primary topic, goal, or course of action.
"Our discussion about the annual budget took an unexpected sidetrack into office renovations."
North American A short railway track connected to a main line, used for unloading freight or allowing another train to pass.
"The freight train pulled onto a sidetrack so the express passenger train could pass safely."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in late 19th-century American English as a railroad compound of 'side' and 'track', referring to shunting a train onto an auxiliary track to clear the main line before evolving into its figurative sense of diverting someone's attention.