derange

/dɪˈreɪnʤ/

Other forms: deranged; deranging; deranges

To derange someone is to make her go crazy or completely confuse her. Going without sleep for an entire week can derange a person.

It's more common to see the adjective deranged — or insane — than the verb derange, but you can use it to describe what happens when someone or something drives a person batty. Too many head injuries can derange a football player's short term memory, and a teasing cat just out of reach might derange a tied-up dog in a yard. The Old French root of derange is desrengier, "throw into disorder," which combines des, "do the opposite of" and rengier, "put into line."

Definitions of derange

1. verb

   derange mentally, throw out of mental balance; make insane
   synonyms: unbalance

   type of:

   craze, madden

   cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind
2. verb

   throw into great confusion or disorder
   synonyms: perturb, throw out of kilter

   type of:

   disarray, disorder

   bring disorder to