1
as in to amuse
to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied
a light comedy to divert the tired business executive
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to turn
to change the course or direction of (something)
the bike race was diverted around the construction zone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of divert
Crews decided to divert to Toulouse and alerted authorities of their arrival.
—
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
State Road 994 was closed for hours with traffic diverted onto Southwest 117th Avenue.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
If all of this has made for a diverting pre-Bethpage sizzle reel, the real fight come Sunday afternoon will be for viewers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The ruffle down the leg slit creates a pretty waterfall effect that stands out without diverting the attention from the woman of the hour.
—Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for divert
Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
State Road 994 was closed for hours with traffic diverted onto Southwest 117th Avenue.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
If all of this has made for a diverting pre-Bethpage sizzle reel, the real fight come Sunday afternoon will be for viewers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
The ruffle down the leg slit creates a pretty waterfall effect that stands out without diverting the attention from the woman of the hour.
—Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for divert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for divert
Verb
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Still, Omerzu’s touch is light, ironic and gently amused, a little reminiscent of François Ozon, who has a similar facility with twisty sly comedy-drama grounded in pain.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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The TikTok video has delighted and amused many online, leading to more than 800 comments on the post so far.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Chemical reactions involving the hematite can turn the rock from red to white and produce iron rich minerals, in this case an iron phosphate called vivianite and an iron sulfide called greigite.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps more worrying for Browns fans has been Flacco's propensity to turn the ball over, throwing six interceptions thus far, the second most of any quarterback in football through the first four weeks.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather than distracting from the acting, the animation also only enhances the heightened emotions of adolescence.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Prosecutors told the jury not to be distracted by these arguments, that the broader picture clearly showed who was at the center of these killings.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The historic Belcourt Theatre will entertain all the Music City cinephiles.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
1 Oct. 2025
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All of these films have been heavily influenced by 20th century pulp fiction writers, but for his latest movie, Black goes directly to the source, adapting one of the genre’s key figures for an action-comedy as offbeat, idiosyncratic, and entertaining as any Black has made.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The officer swung his undercover truck around, radioing his team to converge on a man who was depositing a $50 bill into the machine.—
Avery Schmitz,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Before the King can swing his blade, Ji-yeon gets in his way.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Throughout the games, Snoop will appear alongside NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico and regale primetime audiences with his unique perspective on the goings on in Northern Italy during the winter games.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
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Like his Washington, Bargatze’s Farnsworth regaled a trio of underlings (SNL cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) with ridiculous yet accurate predictions for the future, in this case of TV.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
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The first was a sequence in which he was beaten to the middle of the ice by Jani Nyman, who was able to deflect a puck past Kevin Lankinen to open the scoring.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The plan also draws on redirecting corporate income tax revenues and removing the 6% sales tax from fuel sales to allow for a 20-cent-per-gallon hike in the fuel tax, while leaving the price paid at the pump about the same.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The goal is to redirect critters effectively without overly stressing them.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Divert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/divert. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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