• IPA: /daɪˈɡɹɛs/, /dɪˈɡɹɛs/

digress (digresses, present participle digressing; 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.

   • Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude.

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690)​, [John Locke], chapter 3, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Thomas Basset, […], OCLC 153628242 ↗:

     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.

2. (intransitive) To turn aside from the right path; to transgress; to offend.
   • 1623, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, Act 5 Scene 3

     Thy overflow of good converts to bad;
     And thy abundant goodness shall excuse
     This deadly blot in thy digressing son.

• (turn from the course of argument) sidetrack

• digression
• digressive
• excursive

• French: s'écarter, dévier
• German: abgehen, abschweifen, ausschweifen
• Italian: divagare
• Portuguese: divagar
• Russian: отклоня́ться
• Spanish: desviarse

• Russian: отступа́ть