digressdi‧gress /daɪˈɡres/ verb [intransitive] 
Word Origin Examples
Do you mind if I digress for a moment?—digression /daɪˈɡreʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]: After several long digressions he finally reached the interesting part of the story.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINdigress
Verb TableOrigin:
1500-1600 Latin digressus, past participle of digredi ‘to step aside’VERB TABLE
digress
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | digress |
| he, she, it | digresses | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | digressed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have digressed |
| he, she, it | has digressed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had digressed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will digress |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have digressed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am digressing |
| he, she, it | is digressing | |
| you, we, they | are digressing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was digressing |
| you, we, they | were digressing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been digressing |
| he, she, it | has been digressing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been digressing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be digressing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been digressing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- 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.
- 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.
Longman Language Activatorto stop talking about the subject you are supposed to be talking about► get off the subject
to talk or write about something that is not your main subject: also go off the subject British · I think we're getting off the subject. Could we get back to the main point, please?· Well, going off the subject a minute, what about that Uri Geller chap?
► digress formal to move away from the main subject that you have been talking or writing about, especially for a short time during a speech or story: · Before we do that, I'd like to digress for a minute and say a word or two about the new books.
► be/get sidetracked if you are talking about something and are sidetracked or get sidetracked , you allow yourself to start talking or thinking about something else, especially something less important: · I was going to ask him, but he got sidetracked by this guy and I never got a chance.· Don't be sidetracked by the way the interviewer asks the questions - just keep making the relevant points.
► stray from if you stray from the subject you are talking about, you start talking about other things instead, for example, because you cannot keep your attention on the main subject: · Promise yourself that you'll try not to stray from the issue at hand.· Well, we've strayed quite a way from space exploration.
► ramble to talk, especially for a long time, moving from one subject to another without any clear order, so that your listener becomes bored or confused: · In his diary, the Unabomber rambled at length about the evils of technology.ramble on (=ramble continuously and in an annoying way): · I sat down and let him ramble on for a few minutes.
► lose your train of thought also lose the thread to become confused about or forget the connection between the things you are saying, especially so that you have to stop talking and think about what you want to say next: · The audience's reaction surprised him, and he lost his train of thought for a moment.· I'm sorry, I seem to have lost my thread.lose the thread of something: · Arthur paused, feeling he was beginning to lose the thread of his argument.
► where was I? spoken say this when you want to continue what you were saying before you were interrupted, but you cannot remember what you were saying: · Thanks for that, Gillian. Now, where was I?· So, where was I? Oh yes, the accession of Henry the Fifth.
Do you mind if I digress for a moment?—digression /daɪˈɡreʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]: After several long digressions he finally reached the interesting part of the story.