deflect

verb

de·​flect di-ˈflekt 

dē-

deflected; deflecting; deflects

transitive verb

: 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

intransitive verb

: to turn aside : deviate

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

• 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

On third and 14 at Dallas’ 16-yard line, Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver Matthew Golden as Cowboys defenders deflected the ball with one second left. —The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Yet during a virtual media scrum this week, Boley deflected praise to third-year o-line coach Terry Heffernan. —David Teel, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025

One possibility would be a DART-like mission designed not to deflect but to fragment the object. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025

The group proposed sending nuclear devices to deflect the asteroid. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 23 Sep. 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

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