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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George, a backyard community cat who took up residence at the Loma Verde complex in Lakeland, Florida, grew impatient after getting neutered at the local SPCA and wandered nearly three miles back home, according to a press release shared with PEOPLE on Monday, May 19.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
19 May 2025
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Built as part of the Cardiff Hall plantation, the property had fallen into near ruin; chickens and the odd goat wandered through the living room.—
Isabel Wilkinson Schor,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Verb
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No one deviates, because no one has an incentive to, unless someone changes the underlying payoff structure.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Like Episode 3 of Season 1, Sunday’s installment of the series was the rare episode that deviated from the game’s narrative to tell a deeper story about the characters.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, those who don’t want to stray too far from Santa Cruz can find another fascinating community in the form of San Cristóbal de La Laguna.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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Setbacks may tempt you to stray from your vision, but staying true to yourself attracts the right clients, collaborators and opportunities.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Digress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digress. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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