deflected; deflecting; deflects
: to turn (something) aside especially from a straight course or fixed direction
armor that deflects bullets
deflecting attention from the troubled economy
deflect a question
: to turn aside : deviate
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
With his right hand, Stevenson deflected the pass that safety Kevin Byard was tasked with batting down — up and back, to the receiver he was supposed to be boxing out.
—
Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Lawrence threw a long pass that went off the hands of Jaguars receiver Tim Patrick, then deflected off Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
With six seconds remaining, Salter was picked off for a third time as his pass was deflected into the air and eventually caught by Namdi Obiazor to end the half with the teams tied at 14.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Lawrence threw a long pass that went off the hands of Jaguars receiver Tim Patrick, then deflected off Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025
With six seconds remaining, Salter was picked off for a third time as his pass was deflected into the air and eventually caught by Namdi Obiazor to end the half with the teams tied at 14.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 9 Oct. 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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