refract

verb

re·​fract ri-ˈfrakt 

refracted; refracting; refracts

transitive verb

1

a

: to subject (something, such as a ray of light) to refraction

Between them, Kirchhoff and Bunsen developed the spectroscope, which uses a prism to refract light.

—Paul Strathern

b

: to alter or distort as if by refraction

"Nope" is his twist on the alien-invasion film as refracted through the prism of [filmmaker] David Lynch.

—Cary Darling

Too often Indian food, and later Chinese—then the two most favored and accepted of foreign cuisines—became refracted through the prism of British food.

—Nigella Lawson

2

: to determine the refracting power of

refract a lens

intransitive verb

: to be subjected to refraction

The head of the figure is often surrounded by rings of coloured light caused by light diffraction. Like with a rainbow, this is caused by light refracting through tiny droplets of water in the air.

—Olivia Jones

Examples of refract in a Sentence

Light is refracted when it hits water.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her 2020 duo of albums, Folklore and Evermore, channeled the sound and sensibility of indie rock, refracting her perennial personal themes through a dark, blurry lens of fantasy and allegory. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025

What all the strategic omissions make room for is a study of what happens to humanity when it’s refracted through a machine. —Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025

They are not affected by what gets reflected or refracted in the atmosphere and have operated continuously since 1987. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 July 2025

However, that energy was refracted in other directions because of variations in ocean depth. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 30 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin refractus, past participle of refringere to break open, break up, from re- + frangere to break — more at break

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for refract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Kids Definition

refract

verb

re·​fract ri-ˈfrakt 

: to cause to go through refraction

Medical Definition

refract

transitive verb

re·​fract ri-ˈfrakt 

1

: to subject (as a ray of light) to refraction

2

: to determine the refracting power of or abnormality of refraction in (as an eye or a lens)