definitions

digress

[ dih-gres, dahy- ]
/ dɪˈgrɛs, daɪ- /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR digress ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to deviate or wander away from the main topic or purpose in speaking or writing; depart from the principal line of argument, plot, study, etc.
Archaic. to turn aside.

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RELATED WORDS

meander, swerve, depart, ramble, veer, drift, divagate, roam, wander

Nearby words

digonal, digoneutic, digoxin, digram, digraph, digress, digression, digressive, digs, dihedral, dihedral angle

Origin of digress

1520–30; < Latin dīgressus, past participle of dīgredī “to go off, depart, digress,” equivalent to dī- di-2 + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to go”; cf. grade

Related forms

di·gress·er, noundi·gress·ing·ly, adverbre·di·gress, verb (used without object)

Can be confused

digress diverge

Synonym study

1. See deviate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for digress

British Dictionary definitions for digress

digress

/ (daɪˈɡrɛs) /

verb (intr)

to depart from the main subject in speech or writing
to wander from one's path or main direction

Derived Forms

digresser, noun

Word Origin for digress

C16: from Latin dīgressus turned aside, from dīgredī, from dis- apart + gradī to go
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012