sidetrack

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

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.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to divert from the main... divert distract deflect detourderail

Opposites

focus concentrate

Word family

Related forms side track

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.

side Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# 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
- Actions & Processes

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