What it means
- (noun) A second, relatively short length of track just to the side of a railroad track, joined to the main track by switches at one or both ends, used either for unloading freight, or to allow two trains on a same track to meet (opposite directions) or pass (same direction); a railroad siding.
- (noun) (sometimes) Any auxiliary railroad track, as differentiated from a siding, that runs adjacent to the main track.
- (noun) A smaller tunnel or well drilled as an auxiliary off a main tunnel or well.
- (noun) An alternate train of thought, issue, topic, or activity, that is a deviation or distraction from the topic at hand or central activity, and secondary or subordinate in importance or effectiveness. “Stay focused on the story; you keep getting lost in all of these little sidetracks.”
- (verb) To divert (a locomotive or train) on to a lesser used track in order to allow other trains to pass.
- (verb) To divert or distract (someone) from a main issue or course of action with an alternate or less relevant topic or activity; or, to use deliberate trickery or sly wordplay when talking to (a person) in order to avoid discussion of a subject. “I hope you can sidetrack the teacher with questions so we don't have to take the exam.”
- (verb) To sideline; to push aside; to divert or distract from, reducing (something) to a secondary or subordinate position. “He has sidetracked this debate for far too long.”
- (verb) To deviate briefly from the topic at hand. “Just to sidetrack a little bit from the subject I will explain my reasoning.”
Letter analysis
- Sidetrack contains 9 letters: 3 vowel(s) and 6 consonant(s).
- It uses 9 unique letters.
- Estimated syllable count: 3.
- Scrabble-style letter score: 16.
Words that mean the same
Sub-words
- acridest
- astride
- credits
- darkest
- dickers
- directs
- drastic
- raciest
- rackets
- rickets
- sidecar
- skirted
- stacked
- staider
- sticker
- tackier
- tickers
- tirades
- tracked
- tricked
- arcked
- cadets
- cadres
- carets
- caries
- carted
- casket
- caster
- caters
- cedars
- ciders
- crated
- crates
- creaks
- credit
- dicker
- direct
- direst
- drakes
- driest
- edicts
- racist
- racked
- racket
- raised
- reacts
- recast
- ricked
- risked
- sacked
- sacred
- satire
- scared
- sicked
- sicker
- skated
- skater
- staked
- stared
Related words
Other 9-letter words
- aardvarks
- abandoned
- abasement
- abatement
- abattoirs
- abdicated
- abdicates
- abdominal
- abductees
- abducting
- abduction
- abductors
- abhorrent
- abhorring
- abilities
- ablatives
- ablutions
- abnegated
Words starting with SID
- side
- sidearm
- sidearms
- sidebar
- sidebars
- sideboard
- sideboards
- sideburns
- sidecar
- sidecars
- sided
- sidekick
- sidekicks
- sidelight
- sidelights
- sideline
- sidelined
- sidelines
See all words starting with SID →
Words ending with ACK
Common questions
What does Sidetrack mean?
A second, relatively short length of track just to the side of a railroad track, joined to the main track by switches at one or both ends, used either for unloading freight, or to allow two trains on a same track to meet (opposite directions) or pass (same direction); a railroad siding.
How many letters are in Sidetrack?
Sidetrack has 9 letters.
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