sidetrack

[ sahyd-trak ]

/ ˈsaɪdˌtræk /

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See synonyms for: sidetrack / sidetracked 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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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. 2023

How to use sidetrack in a sentence

How do we move this along quickly before they get sidetracked with other projects?
Inside Sony’s ‘Pineapple Express 2 Drama’: Leaked Emails Reveal Fight Over Stoner Comedy Sequel|William Boot|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the fact that they have had to divert funds and resources for Ebola means their original objectives have been sidetracked.
What’s Worse Than Ebola in West Africa? Almost Everything|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It even included a sly nod to being “sidetracked in Juárez.”
Excerpts From a New Johnny Cash Biography Capture His Iconoclastic Genius|Robert Hilburn|October 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Got sidetracked watching a documentary about Egyptian afterlife rituals and beliefs.
The Land of the Dead|Megan McArdle|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

“We get sidetracked by efforts to focus on getting every woman a mammogram,” she recently told The Daily Beast.
The Media’s Pink-Ribbon Problem: Coverage Is Skewed, Study Says|Abigail Pesta|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She ran out and caught a neighbors boy, and sent him scurrying down to the sidetracked sleeping car with a note to Helen.
Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm|Alice B. Emerson
Not to be sidetracked, she then asked the woman's rights convention to broaden its platform to include rights for the Negro.
Susan B. Anthony|Alma Lutz
Granville Stuart, meanwhile, having successfully sidetracked the three musketeers, proceeded silently to gather his clansmen.
Roosevelt in the Bad Lands|H. Hagedorn.
There's been a big change in you since you sidetracked Will Douglas, Esmé.
The Clarion|Samuel Hopkins Adams
Of course the Jubilee issue was a special affair, and for a time sidetracked other considerations.
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery|Clifton Armstrong Howes

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

sidetrack

Origin of sidetrack

Words related to sidetrack

How to use sidetrack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sidetrack