Skip to main content
to detrain

to detrain

1 6.7
To get off a train and go onto the platform
  • verb
  • /dɪˈtreɪn/
translation icon : desembarcar
  • The passengers will detrain at the next station, so please have your tickets ready.

Examples

  • What would the reaction be if, in a major metropolitan area, a local commuter train nearly ran over passengers detraining at a station it was not supposed to be passing through?

    Blog text (29)
  • And, more importantly, in many cases there were multiple departure times so that one was not forced to board or detrain in the middle of the night, as for instance when going to or from Cleveland today.

    Blog text (7)
  • When they detrained, they found only three buildings to shelter them, all recently erected by the Leach Brothers.

    Academic text (2006)
  • As the train slowed down, everyone prepared to detrain quickly before the doors closed.

  • After the long journey, the soldiers finally detrained and were greeted by their families.

Synonyms

to get off at
vsto detrain
32 1.9

Leave a vehicle like a bus or train at a stop

does not require naming a particular stop when leaving the train
to disembark
vsto detrain
21 5.1

To leave a ship, plane, or other vehicle after a journey

is limited to leaving a train rather than many vehicle types
to dismount
vsto detrain
21 4.5

To get off a horse, bicycle, or vehicle

refers to leaving a public train not getting off a ridden or small vehicle

Antonyms

238 1.1

To get onto a vehicle like a train or plane

Surface Forms

detrain infinitive
detrained past
detrained past participle
detraining present participle
detrains third person singular

Morphology

detrain = train (semi-transparent) = de + train

The sense is fairly inferable as 'remove oneself from a train' or 'get off a train', but the prefix 'de-' in this removal sense is less familiar and less productive for many learners than common native prefixes.

Etymology

Detrain is made from the prefix de- meaning 'off' or 'away' and the word train. So, detrain simply means to get 'off' a train or to leave it.