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derailment

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,640 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: derailments

A derailment is a train coming off the rails. A serious derailment, the cause of the derailment, a minor derailment.

Most are low-speed and happen in sidings and yards rather than on main lines. Investigations usually find track defects, broken wheels or excessive speed on a curve, and the reports are published in full.

Unknown · Public domain

Definitions of derailment

  1. 1nounderailmentA train coming off the rails.C1

    “The derailment blocked the main line, and hundreds of passengers were stuck.”

derailment is an accident.

Where it comes from

  1. French

    déraillement

  2. English, today

    derailment

Borrowed from French déraillement.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Railways

Practise this word

derailment in the wild

  • In rail transport, a derailment is a type of railway accident that occurs when a moving rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails.

    Derailment

  • Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially serious hazard.

    Derailment

  • Early reports suggested a power surge or a terrorist attack to be the cause of the derailment, but both were soon dismissed.

    2014 Moscow Metro derailment

  • The derailment disrupted train service for several days.

    2015 Philadelphia train derailment

  • Shortly after the derailment, Amtrak completed ATC installation on the northbound track.

    2015 Philadelphia train derailment

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.