DIGRESS

Verb

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

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

• (turn from the course of argument): sidetrack, stray, divagate

Etymology

From Latin digressum, past participle of digredi.

Antonyms

• (turn from the course of argument): recur

Saturday, January 31, 2026 01:34PM

digress - Wiktionary, the free dictionary