Digress
/daɪˈɡrɛs/
verbB2
Definition
Digress means to move away from the main point or subject when you are talking or writing. It often happens when someone tells a story or explains something but then talks about something else for a moment before returning to the main idea.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
To move away from the main subject in speaking or writing
- •During his speech, he digressed to tell a personal story.
- •The teacher digressed for a moment but then returned to the lesson.
- •Please don’t digress too much or we will run out of time.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "digress" like "talk" or "say," but it means going off the main path in a conversation or story.
- ✓Picture a road that suddenly turns left away from the main highway before coming back later.
- ✓It's the feeling when you start explaining one thing but suddenly remember another story and tell that first.
- ✓Sounds like "die-GRESS" → imagine a person walking off the main street ("gress" sounds like "gress" in "progress") onto a side path.
- ✓Think of a teacher who starts explaining a lesson but then tells a funny story before returning to the subject.
- ✓NOT like "stay" (keep on the same topic), digress means to leave the main topic temporarily.
- ✓NOT like "interrupt" (stop someone else), digress is when you yourself change the subject.
- ✓NOT like "change topic" completely and permanently, digress is usually temporary and you come back to the main idea.
Try Other Words
- •Stray: to move away from the correct place or topic (Use when talking about physical movement or less formal topic changes)
- •Depart: to leave a place or subject (Use in formal speech or writing when leaving the main subject)
- •Veer off: to suddenly change direction (Use for informal speech when changing topic or direction quickly)
Unboxing
- •Prefix: "di-" meaning "apart" or "away"
- •Root: "gress" from Latin "gradi" meaning "to step" or "to walk"
- •Etymology: From Latin "digressus," meaning "to step away"
- •Historical development: Used since the 1600s to mean stepping away from the main subject in speech or writing
- •Modern usage: Common in formal writing and speaking to describe temporarily leaving the main topic
Reflect & Connect
•When is it helpful or not helpful to digress during a conversation or speech?
•Can digressing make a story more interesting, or does it confuse listeners? Why?
Fill in the blanks
1.The speaker digressed ___ the main topic to tell a funny story that ___ the audience’s attention.
2.When you digress during writing, you should ___ back to the main point quickly to avoid ___ your reader.
3.Unlike changing the subject completely, digress usually means to leave the topic ___ and then return.
4.The teacher digressed ___ a personal experience, which helped explain the lesson better.
5.If someone digresses too much, the conversation can become ___ and hard to follow.
6.During the meeting, he digressed ___ the agenda, causing some confusion about the next steps.
7.Digress often happens when the speaker ___ a related idea but wants to return to the main subject soon.