deflect

verb

de·​flect di-ˈflekt 

dē-

deflected; deflecting; deflects

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to hit something and change direction

the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad

deflectable

di-ˈflek-tə-bəl 

dē-

adjective

deflective

di-ˈflek-tiv 

dē-

adjective

deflector

di-ˈflek-tər 

dē-

noun

Synonyms of deflect

• turn
• swing
• divert
• redirect
• whip

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 23-year-old took a puck to the face Monday morning after Mario Ferraro’s shot was deflected up during a drill. —Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025

With most Americans unhappy with the state of the economy, the president gets combative and deflects blame. —ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025

The Broncos defensive tackle ran in unabated and Riley Moss deflected the pass in the end zone. —Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025

The ball got loose because of the charge, and then it was deflected. —Dan Woike, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin deflectere to bend down, turn aside, from de- + flectere to bend

First Known Use

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for deflect

• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect
• collect
• connect
• correct
• detect
• direct
• dissect
• effect
• eject

Kids 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

-ˈflek-shən

noun