to digress

Examples

• All

• Learners should stay on the task at hand, not digress from agreed-upon goals.

  Academic text (1996)

• Here I must digress a little to explain the terms of Ways and Means.

• So, you know, I want to digress just a little bit.

• And let me, if I can digress here for a second.

• Allow me to digress for a minute.

  Academic text (2001)

• And I'm going to digress slightly to give you some data on just that.

  The Royal Institution

• I seem to have digressed a bit.

  Fiction book (1999)

• As long as I've mentioned Franklin, let me digress a moment.

  Academic text (2007)

• Let me digress briefly to explain what is going through TSP's mind at this moment.

  Academic text (1996)

• The interviewer followed an outline of questions, but allowed room to digress and explore relevant topics at greater length.

  Academic text (2005)

Synonyms

D

to depart

vsto digress

• Formal

62 4.1

To move away from a plan or the usual way

focuses specifically on briefly leaving the main subject in speech or writing

W

to wander

vsto digress

50 3.3

Lose focus or go off the main subject

is often a deliberate temporary move away from the main subject

S

to stray

vsto digress

26 4.0

To move away from the main topic when speaking or writing

is a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing

D

to divagate

vsto digress

• Archaic

9.9

To wander away from the main subject when speaking or writing

is limited to leaving the main subject in speech or writing only

Antonyms

S

to stay on track

9 3.2

To focus on a goal without getting distracted

How Digressive

to ramble

• Informal

48 5.3

to go off on tangents

• Informal

1 7.0

to digress

22 6.8

to deviate

51 5.8

focus

794 3.5

Surface Forms

Etymology