Meanings
present singular third person digresses · participle present digressing · participle past digressed · past digressed
- intransitiveTo step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.
Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude.
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC2 more examples
In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition as often as a man varies the signification of any term.
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 3, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC[…] For I hadn't had so much fun since the day / my brother's dog Rover / got run over. / (Rover was killed by a Pontiac. And it was done with such grace and artistry that the witnesses awarded the driver both ears and the tail – but I digress.)
1959, “In Old Mexico”, Tom Lehrer (music) - intransitiveTo turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.
Thy overflow of good converts to bad; And thy abundant goodness shall excuse This deadly blot in thy digressing son.
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 5, scene 3]
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo step or turn aside; to deviate; to swerve; especially, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking.
turn from the course of argument
More synonyms by meaning
verblose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
- Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
- Proto-Indo-European*d(w)is-
- Proto-Italic*dis-
- Latindis-
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰredʰ-
- Latingradior
- Latindīgredior
- Latindīgressus
- Latindīgressum
- Englishdigress
From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отклонявам се
- отклонявам се (otklonjavam se)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Catalan desviar-se
- desviar-seto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Czech odbíhat
- odbíhatto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Dutch afdwalen
- afdwalento deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Esperanto deflankiĝi
- deflankiĝito deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Finnish eksyä (aiheesta), poiketa (aiheesta)
- eksyä (aiheesta)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- poiketa (aiheesta)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
French s'écarter, dévier
- s'écarterto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- dévierto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- digresserto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
German abgehen, abschweifen
- abgehento deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- abschweifento deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- ausschweifento deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Hungarian elkalandozik, eltér a tárgytól
- elkalandozikto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- eltér a tárgytólto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Italian divagare
- divagareto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Māori kāwekaweka
- kāwekawekato deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Polish odbiegać, odbiec
- odbiegaćto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- odbiecto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Portuguese divagar
- divagarto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Romanian devia, ofensa
- deviato deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- ofensato transgress
Russian отклоня́ться, отвлекаться
- отклоня́ться (otklonjátʹsja)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- отвлекаться (otvlekatʹsja)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- отступа́ть (otstupátʹ)to transgress
Scottish Gaelic rach a thaobh
- rach a thaobhto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Spanish irse por una digresión/disquisición, divagar
- irse por una digresión/disquisiciónto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- divagarto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- elucubrarto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
- prolijearto deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Yiddish פאַררעדן זיך
- פאַררעדן זיך (farredn zikh)to deviate — see also go off on a tangent, deviate
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with digress
Cite this entry
digress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digress
“digress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digress. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “digress,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digress.
Source: digress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.