deflection

noun

de·​flec·​tion di-ˈflek-shən 

dē-

1

: the act of changing or causing to change direction

2

: the departure of an indicator or pointer from the zero reading on the scale of an instrument

Synonyms of deflection

• deviation
• departure

Examples of deflection in a Sentence

measuring the angle of deflection

He scored with a deflection off another player's stick.

Recent Examples on the Web

Callender’s deflection right at the line in the second half caromed to the near side and appeared to cross the end line, but SDFC was not awarded a corner kick. —Kyle Kensing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026

The opening goal from Doue owed to a deflection which was hard to mitigate for, and Liverpool defended the box significantly better than in recent weeks. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

But such deflections come too easily for Villanueva. —Rafael Perez, Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026

About 10 minutes through the frame, the Avs briefly took the lead when Ross Colton batted a rebound out of the air and into the net off a deflection from the weak side. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deflection

• abjection
• advection
• affection
• bijection
• bisection
• collection
• complexion
• confection
• connection
• connexion
• convection
• correction

Medical Definition

deflection

noun

de·​flec·​tion di-ˈflek-shən 

1

: a turning aside or deviation from a straight line

2

: the departure of an indicator or pointer from the zero reading on the scale of an instrument

deflect

di-ˈflekt 

verb