English

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Etymology

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From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /daɪˈɡɹɛs/, /dɪˈɡɹɛs/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)
  • Hyphenation: di‧gress
  • Rhymes: -ɛs

Verb

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digress (third-person singular simple present digresses, present participle digressing, simple past and past participle digressed)

  1. (intransitive) To 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.
  2. (intransitive) To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.

Usage notes

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Often heard in the set phrase But I digress, where the word behaves as a stative verb, whereas it otherwise patterns as a dynamic verb.

Synonyms

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  • (turn from the course of argument): sidetrack
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Translations

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