definitions

sidetrack

[ sahyd-trak ]
/ ˈsaɪdˌtræk /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sidetrack ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to move from the main track to a siding, as a train.
to move or distract from the main subject or course.

noun

any railroad track, other than a siding, auxiliary to the main track.

RELATED WORDS

swerve, avert, veer, switch, deflect, digress, alter, change, redirect

Nearby words

sidesplittingly, sidestep, sidestream smoke, sidestroke, sideswipe, sidetrack, sidewalk, sidewalk artist, sidewalk sale, sidewalk superintendent, sidewalking

Origin of sidetrack

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; side1 + track
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sidetrack

British Dictionary definitions for sidetrack

sidetrack

/ (ˈsaɪdˌtræk) /

verb

to distract or be distracted from a main subject or topic

noun

US and Canadian a railway siding
the act or an instance of sidetracking; digression
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 sidetrack

sidetrack

n.

also side-track, "railway siding," 1835, from side (adj.) + track (n.). The verb meaning "to move (a train car) onto a sidetrack" is from 1874; figurative sense of "to divert from the main purpose" is attested from 1881. Related: Sidetracked.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper