sidetrack

sidetrack — verb

1. to cause a person, conversation, or activity to move away from its main purpose

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to cause a person, conversation, or activity to move away from its main purpose and focus on something less important instead, often delaying or derailing the original goal

Example

The manager's question about parking sidetracked the team from discussing their sales targets.

sidetracked + noun + from + noun phrase

Whenever Niran tries to study, his phone notifications sidetrack him for hours.

sidetrack someone + for + time period

Common collocations
  • get sidetracked
  • become sidetracked
  • sidetrack someone from a task
  • easily sidetracked
  • sidetrack the discussion
Synonyms
  • distract

    broader and more neutral; can be brief and easy to recover from

  • divert

    more formal and often deliberate, as in rerouting resources

  • deflect

    implies pushing something away, often with resistance

Antonyms
  • focus

    opposite of being sidetracked; to direct full attention on the task

  • concentrate

    to keep attention firmly on the main subject

Grammar Patterns

sidetrack + noun + from + noun

be/get sidetracked + by + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive (be/get sidetracked). The original activity follows the preposition 'from', while the distracting thing follows 'by'.

Common Mistakes

I sidetracked by the noise
I got sidetracked by the noise
This sense commonly needs a passive or reflexive structure; 'sidetracked' rarely stands alone as an active verb without an object.

2. to turn or move away from a straight course or intended route, or to make someth

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to turn or move away from a straight course or intended route, or to make something do this

Example

The hiking trail had been rerouted to sidetrack the landslide area.

sidetrack around + obstacle

The hikers sidetracked from the main path to avoid a muddy section of the trail.

Common collocations
  • sidetrack from the path
  • sidetrack off course
  • sidetrack around an obstacle
Synonyms
  • deviate

    more formal and used for any kind of path, not just physical

  • veer

    implies a sudden change of direction, often involuntary

  • swerve

    suggests a quick move to avoid something in the way

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

sidetrack + from + noun

sidetrack + noun + around + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from verb/1 (DIVERT ATTENTION). This sense is about physical movement — a vehicle, person, or object changing direction — not about attention or focus.

sidetrack — noun

Word family

  • sidetracked
    adjectiveB2
  • sidetracking
    nounC1
  • sidetracks
    noun pluralC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Distract, divert, deflect, and sidetrack all involve turning something away from a focus, but they differ in how this happens. Distract is the broadest and most neutral term — a loud noise can distract you from your work, but you can easily return to it. Divert is more formal and often suggests a deliberate rerouting, such as diverting funds to another project or diverting traffic around an accident. Deflect implies resistance or pushing something away — you deflect a question you do not want to answer by changing the subject. Sidetrack carries a stronger sense of unwelcome interruption and delay; when you get sidetracked, the original task or goal is often abandoned or seriously delayed. For example: noisy children can distract a worker for a moment, but a long argument about office policies can sidetrack an entire project meeting, and the original agenda may never be returned to.

distract ↗divert ↗deflect ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • get sidetracked
  • become sidetracked

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'sidetrack' is a compound of 'side' (from Old English side, meaning 'flank or edge') and 'track' (from Old French trac, meaning 'path or trail'). It first appeared in the mid-1800s as a railway term for a short line of track branching off the main railway line. By the late 1800s, the figurative meaning — to divert someone's attention away from the main topic — had emerged and eventually became the more common use of the word.