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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
digress
verb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Before we do that, I'd like to digress for a minute and say a word or two about the new books.
▪ During the lecture, Miller often digressed to give the history behind each theory.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Having digressed on our way around the village, all that is left is the marsh and the woods.
▪ Having digressed so far, I can not resist going a little further.
▪ However space does not permit me to digress into this topic.
▪ I am digressing, but with the purpose of emphasising the power of the pencil.
▪ Perhaps this is the place to digress a little and talk about the taking of facts from other writers' books.
▪ Should they digress they would be asked to find other accommodation forthwith.
▪ Stewart digresses to fill every cranny in her heroine's past.
▪ That is why we have digressed.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Digress

Digress \Di*gress"\, n. Digression. [Obs.]
--Fuller.

Digress

Digress \Di*gress"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Digressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Digressing.] [L. digressus, p. p. of digredi to go apart, to deviate; di- = dis- + gradi to step, walk. See Grade.]

  1. 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.

    Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude.
    --Holland.

    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.
    --Locke.

  2. To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend. [R.]

    Thy abundant goodness shall excuse This deadly blot on thy digressing son.
    --Shak.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
digress

1520s, from Latin digressus, past participle of digredi "to go aside, depart" (see digression), or perhaps a back-formation from digression. Related: Digressed; digressing.

Wiktionary
digress

vb. (context intransitive English) 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.

WordNet
digress
  1. v. lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; "She always digresses when telling a story"; "her mind wanders"; "Don't digress when you give a lecture" [syn: stray, divagate, wander]

  2. wander from a direct or straight course [syn: sidetrack, depart, straggle]

Usage examples of "digress".

When Monsieur Leblanc was sober, he was a most excellent and well-informed tutor, although one apt to digress into many side issues, which in themselves were not uninstructive.

King Joyse would have the head of any Imager who did frivolously what we've done to you-though there are some,' he digressed momentarily, 'who might attempt it, if they weren't restrained by the Congery.

This problem, señor, has digressed into notions of honor and control in .

He digresses from an account of the ascent of Vesuvius to compare the prices of gloves, linen shirts, and dress suits in Paris and in Italy.

When he digresses, and imagines tender souls, he exaggerates their sensibility, in order to render their oppression more odious.

Although the book takes place during only three days, it is as much an autobiography as anything else, because Holden constantly digresses to tell us about things that happened long before this period in his life.

In an abstract way, like a woman digressing momentarily while she prepared her thoughts, she asked, Terisa, what do you consider Orison's greatest internal weakness?

I have purposely omitted and left out some fond and frivolous gestures, digressing, and, in my poor opinion, far unmeet for the matter, which I thought might seem more tedious unto the wise than any way else to be regarded, though haply they have been of some vain-conceited fondlings greatly gaped at, what time they were shewed upon the stage in their graced deformities: nevertheless now to be mixtured in print with such matter of worth, it would prove a great disgrace to so honourable and stately a history.

Hans Maslick was digressing on how to roll fingerprints off severely burned flesh, the best chemical compounds to remove scabbed tissue without singeing the skin below the surface of the print pattern.

Carvajal, the Spaniard expeditions' chronicler, wrote of ten to twelve women warriors near Monte Alegre, close to Caverna da Pedra Pintada, where there were these gorgeous villages—you know women ran that, right… Okay, I digress for editorial comment, but he wrote that the female warriors were out in front of the men, leading the native troops.

The advantage of this is that he is enabled to make use of Don Quixote as a mouthpiece for his own reflections, and so, without seeming to digress, allow himself the relief of digression when he requires it, as freely as in a commonplace book.

While Cavriani, Inez, and Idelette watched with fascination, they sank deeply into shop talk, digressed into the fact that they both missed jogging even though it really wasn't necessary in a world where most people walked everywhere they went, and then meandered into children.