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
At a Tuesday night town hall, the mayor deflected criticism, saying blame belongs in Springfield.
—
Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
After that 29-27 loss to the Chicago Bears on Friday night, Reid was asked about the incident but mostly deflected the question, saying that Chiefs president Mark Donovan discussed it during Thursday’s Chiefs Kickoff Luncheon.
—Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Strain sensors measure the degree to which the flex is deflecting the channel, as determined by chain tension.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
Putin will be trying to deflect any further U.S. implementation of secondary sanctions on Russian oil exports or banks, or seizure of frozen Russian assets.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
After that 29-27 loss to the Chicago Bears on Friday night, Reid was asked about the incident but mostly deflected the question, saying that Chiefs president Mark Donovan discussed it during Thursday’s Chiefs Kickoff Luncheon.
—Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Strain sensors measure the degree to which the flex is deflecting the channel, as determined by chain tension.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
Putin will be trying to deflect any further U.S. implementation of secondary sanctions on Russian oil exports or banks, or seizure of frozen Russian assets.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 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 Sep. 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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