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
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
As the immediate gratification from short-term gains may digress us from the long-term impact of nudging, the process should unfold organically.
—Harshit Jain, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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
As the immediate gratification from short-term gains may digress us from the long-term impact of nudging, the process should unfold organically.
—Harshit Jain, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for digress
Verb
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On Monday night, a glittering crowd stepped out to celebrate the store’s opening, before heading over to Palazzo Serbelloni to wander through its halls and take in the homewares collection.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
10 Apr. 2025
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Nestled along the sandy shores of Siloso Beach, the resort is adorned in tropical greenery, while peacocks wander freely across the gardens, hornbills perch in the frangipani trees and dinosaur-like monitor lizards sunbathe by breakfast tables.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The main function of the yeast deviated from producing good beer to simply being able to survive for an extraordinarily long period of time without its primary food source: barley sugar.—
Gary Stoller,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Even Porziņģis missing time throughout the playoffs didn’t force the Celtics to deviate much from their plan.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The panel did not stray from their earlier guesses for him, throwing out familiar names like Dave Matthews, Daryl Hall, and Pat Monahan of Train once more.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Kering Eyewear was a pioneer in changing the business model for luxury groups with regard to the eyewear category, straying from the well-trodden licensing business model.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Digress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/digress. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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