deflected; deflecting; deflects
1
: to cause (something) to change direction especially from a straight course
armor that deflects bullets
deflecting attention from the troubled economy
deflect a question
2
: to keep (something, as a question) from affecting or being directed at a person or thing
was able to deflect criticism
: to hit something and change direction
the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad
Examples of deflect in a Sentence
armor that can deflect bullets
The goalie deflected the ball with his hands.
The ball deflected off the goalie's shoulder.
They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy.
The blame was deflected from the chairman.
Recent Examples on the Web
The artist has consistently worked with light—using it to render their own body both hypervisible and opaque—in order to simultaneously elicit and deflect the voyeuristic gaze typically trained on trans bodies.
—
Gayatri Gopinath, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Nik Bonitto, quiet for much of the game, deflected Mariota's pass for the walk-off victory.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
His 200th career goal came with hulking Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns draped all over him, but still unable to stop a Zeev Buium pass from deflecting off Kaprizov and past Wedgewood for the equalizer.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
In doing so, the Earth could either absorb those impacts or gravitationally deflect those potential impactors away from the Moon.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Gayatri Gopinath, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Nik Bonitto, quiet for much of the game, deflected Mariota's pass for the walk-off victory.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
His 200th career goal came with hulking Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns draped all over him, but still unable to stop a Zeev Buium pass from deflecting off Kaprizov and past Wedgewood for the equalizer.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 28 Nov. 2025
In doing so, the Earth could either absorb those impacts or gravitationally deflect those potential impactors away from the Moon.
—Big Think, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deflect
verb
de·flect
di-ˈflekt 
: to turn or cause to turn aside (as from a course, direction, or position)
a bullet deflected by striking a wall
deflection
noun
-ˈflek-shən
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