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.
digressing
-
present participleof digress.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Elliptical, digressing, self-interrupting, parenthesizing, Herzen wrote as he spoke, in a torrent of ideas, reminiscences, and literary and historical allusions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
But then Will spoils the effect by digressing into a jarring non sequitur:
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
This was a comfortable spot for him, though he seemed, in a faded red T-shirt with a few holes in the torso, not entirely comfortable there, apologizing often for rambling, pausing, digressing.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022
But when I read it, I realized all the things I thought were my flaws — the digressing, the self-contradiction — in Bernhard that was the writing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022
Moral Theology, therefore, is not digressing from its proper subject-matter, if it gives some attention to rules of health.
From Moral Theology A Complete Course Based on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Best Modern Authorities by Charles Jerome Callan
