digress
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.
digresses
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present tense formof digress (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Australian-American singer and songwriter Jamie O’Neal digresses from the program just a bit—delivering Reba McEntire’s “Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
He digresses to tell me the story, however, and it’s literally longer than this entire article’s word count.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
In one letter, he digresses to say he took a break from writing to eat a quart of ice cream.
From New York Times ● May 28, 2018
It idles, it digresses, it repeats, it makes no progress.
From Slate ● May 3, 2018
His work is chiefly written in the form of a series of letters to friends, and he occasionally digresses over the border into the neighboring parishes to speak of their peculiarities or attractions.
From England, Picturesque and Descriptive A Reminiscence of Foreign Travel by Joel Cook
