as in to wander
to speak or write about something that is different from the main subject being discussed
He digressed so often that it was hard to follow what he was saying. If I can digress for a moment, I'd like to briefly mention her earlier films.
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Recent Examples of digress
This very reason can digress the correlation between security initiatives and reducing the likelihood of breaches.
—
Siranjeevi Dheenadhayalan, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The islanders can no more control whether the whales come or go than Ella can control her cancer or Mayor Annie can corral a group of quibbling, digressing neighbors into decisive action.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The islanders can no more control whether the whales come or go than Ella can control her cancer or Mayor Annie can corral a group of quibbling, digressing neighbors into decisive action.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Short chapters often begin in the present and then digress into episodes from the narrator’s mostly stable, untroubled past.
—Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Siranjeevi Dheenadhayalan, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
The islanders can no more control whether the whales come or go than Ella can control her cancer or Mayor Annie can corral a group of quibbling, digressing neighbors into decisive action.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
The islanders can no more control whether the whales come or go than Ella can control her cancer or Mayor Annie can corral a group of quibbling, digressing neighbors into decisive action.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Short chapters often begin in the present and then digress into episodes from the narrator’s mostly stable, untroubled past.
—Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Mahler handled this melodrama with remarkable composure; apparently, the two men digressed into a discussion of the brokenness of modern art.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
The operative word is slightly; don’t digress into the weeds.
—Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digress
Verb
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The shelter added that Captain ended up at Bentonville after a woman found the dog wandering near a road while traveling in Missouri.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
5 July 2025
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Partygoers wandered the streets, drinks in hand, wearing Scrim costumes made from furry onesies.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
5 July 2025
Verb
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Instead, the Olympian’s attention deviated to the officer’s appearance.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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That’s not dissimilar from what happened in the TikTok case, where the justices — including the liberals — deviated from free-speech norms because they were panicked by concerns about China.—
Noah Feldman,
Mercury News,
5 July 2025
Verb
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Hope never strayed far from the community's mind: to this day, fresh flowers decorate her grave.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
14 July 2025
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Bob Marley almost never strays from the top spot on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Digress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digress. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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