digression
noun
di·gres·sion
dī-ˈgre-shən 
də-
1
: the act or an instance of leaving the main subject in an extended written or verbal expression of thought : the act or an instance of digressing in a discourse or other usually organized literary work
Every place Hamilton, his parents, or his wife visited over a century's time is described at length; everyone he met merits at least a minor biographical digression.—
Willard Sterne Randall
Willard Sterne Randall2
archaic
: a going aside
Examples of digression in a Sentence
the professor's frequent and extended digressions are the stuff of campus legend
Recent Examples on the Web
The script’s jumble of subplots, flashbacks and digressions has scant binding structural integrity.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 July 2024
Claude is a minor digression, second to the Captain’s slow-burn flirtation with Lana.
—Terry Nguyen, Vulture, 12 May 2024
Which leads to a long digression on Crackle, because this is The Vergecast and that’s just what happens sometimes.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 14 June 2024
Small’s telling contains engaging anecdotes and the occasional digression to art historical antecedents—the evolution of photography and Donald Judd settling in Marfa—that provide obvious cultural references to anchor readers in this emergent technology.
—Charlotte Kent, ARTnews.com, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression 
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 July 2024
Claude is a minor digression, second to the Captain’s slow-burn flirtation with Lana.
—Terry Nguyen, Vulture, 12 May 2024
Which leads to a long digression on Crackle, because this is The Vergecast and that’s just what happens sometimes.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 14 June 2024
Small’s telling contains engaging anecdotes and the occasional digression to art historical antecedents—the evolution of photography and Donald Judd settling in Marfa—that provide obvious cultural references to anchor readers in this emergent technology.
—Charlotte Kent, ARTnews.com, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for digression
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'digression.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near digression
Cite this Entry
“Digression.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digression. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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