Thesaurus results for DIGRESS

Q: How does the verb 'digress' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of digress are depart , deviate , diverge , swerve , and veer . While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse. // a professor prone to digress

Q: Where would 'depart' be a reasonable alternative to 'digress'?

The words depart and digress can be used in similar contexts, but depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type. // occasionally departs from his own guidelines

Q: When can 'deviate' be used instead of 'digress'?

While the synonyms deviate and digress are close in meaning, deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course. // never deviated from her daily routine

Q: How are the words 'diverge' and 'depart' related as synonyms of 'digress'?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions. // after school their paths diverged

Q: When might 'swerve' be a better fit than 'digress'?

In some situations, the words swerve and digress are roughly equivalent. However, swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness. // swerved to avoid hitting the dog

Q: When is 'veer' a more appropriate choice than 'digress'?

Although the words veer and digress have much in common, veer implies a major change in direction. // at that point the path veers to the right

digress

verb

Definition of digress

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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How does the verb digress contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of digress are depart, deviate, diverge, swerve, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

Where would depart be a reasonable alternative to digress?

The words depart and digress can be used in similar contexts, but depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

When can deviate be used instead of digress?

While the synonyms deviate and digress are close in meaning, deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

How are the words diverge and depart related as synonyms of digress?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When might swerve be a better fit than digress?

In some situations, the words swerve and digress are roughly equivalent. However, swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

When is veer a more appropriate choice than digress?

Although the words veer and digress have much in common, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of digress Other more doc-style moments digress to explore the family’s history, which stretches all the way back to when Guinea-Bissau was a Portuguese colony and slavery abounded. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026 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 The two-hour conversation quickly digresses from the record and encompasses topics like fatherhood, politics, the dangers of television advertising, and just about anything else that flits through John and Yoko’s minds. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026 At an April news briefing on the Iran war, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth digressed from taking a dig at Iranian leadership to take a dig at American news media. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 6 May 2026 Semple’s writing is warm and absurdly funny but also occasionally devastating—as when, roughly midway through the book, Adora digresses into recalling her experiences writing for a comedy show in the 1990s. — The Atlantic, 14 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for digress

Verb

However, because his hearing aids connected directly to the ringtone, the two ended up wandering around the house, using the changing volume to narrow down its location instead of listening for the phone itself.

— Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Modeled after a European village, the collection of boutiques, restaurants, and attractions is a great place to wander.

— Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026

Definition of wander

Verb

Honda's vehicles feature a distinct design language and identity that evolves without deviating from the brand's ethos.

— Charles Singh, USA Today, 2 July 2026
And yet at the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary defense of the faith and criticizing how the Catholic Church today had deviated from tradition.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of deviate

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dig out

digress

digressed

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“Digress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digress. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of digress

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