digress

[dih-gres, dahy-]

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.

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

Can be confuseddigress diverge

Synonyms for digress

1. ramble, stray.

Synonym study

1. See deviate.

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

Related Words for digressed

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

Examples from the Web for digressed

Historical Examples of digressed

But I have digressed inordinately, and must get back to Auckland forthwith.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)
William Delisle Hay
And now, if you please, let us return to the point of the argument at which we digressed.
Phaedo
Plato
But I have digressed and will proceed to finish Government Street.
Some Reminiscences of old Victoria
Edgar Fawcett
Then he digressed again, this time without a trace of humour.
The Brentons
Anna Chapin Ray
And now I will return to the main history from which I have digressed.
The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus

British Dictionary definitions for digressed

digress

verb (intr)

to depart from the main subject in speech or writing

to wander from one's path or main direction

Derived Formsdigresser, 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

Word Origin and History for digressed

digress

1520s, from Latin digressus, past participle of digredi "to go aside, depart" (see digression), or perhaps a back-formation from digression. Related: Digressed; digressing.