sidetrack C2+ Topic:Education & Learning US /ˈsaɪdtræk/ UK /ˈsaɪdtræk/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to divert from the main course or topic Don't let small details sidetrack you from finishing the report. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to divert from the main... divertdistractdeflectdetourderail ↔ Opposites focusconcentrate Word family Related forms sidetrack Etymology AI details A 19th-century railway compound from side and track, originally meaning a siding off the main line; side is from Old English side, and track from Old French trac. side Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Education & Learning External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # sidetrack **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈsaɪdtræk/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsaɪdtræk/ ## Meanings 1. to divert from the main course or topic ## Examples - Don't let small details sidetrack you from finishing the report. ## Synonyms - divert - distract - deflect - detour - derail ## Antonyms - focus - concentrate ## Related Forms - side - track ## Roots and Affixes - Root: side ## Etymology A 19th-century railway compound from side and track, originally meaning a siding off the main line; side is from Old English side, and track from Old French trac. ## AI Etymology Sidetrack is from a 19th-century railway compound from side and track, originally meaning a siding off the main line; side is from Old English side, and track from Old French trac. The historical chain includes Old English side. Morphologically, sidetrack is best read as borrowing, yielding an English verb and noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb and noun, with the sense "to divert from the main course or topic". related forms include side and track. The result is an English verb and noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning. ## Topics - Education & Learning markdown