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
Grubauer deflected Zibanejad's initial shot wide and off the end board, and Zibanejad followed it and sent the rebound from behind the goal line back off the goalie and in for his 18th.
—
CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Rodgers also had a few of his passes deflected.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
In a conventional turbine, blades are angled to deflect fluid flow and convert kinetic energy into mechanical work.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Rodgers also had a few of his passes deflected.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
In a conventional turbine, blades are angled to deflect fluid flow and convert kinetic energy into mechanical work.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
