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
Canfield feels more comfortable deflecting the conversation away from himself and towards the collective group.
—
Andrew Rice, New York Times, 29 May 2026
With Drew Gilbert on second as the automatic runner in the top of the 10th, Ramos hit a sharp grounder that deflected off of second baseman Bryson Stott’s glove and rolled into shallow center field.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
The governor deflected to a rant about a DOJ lawsuit filed Wednesday over her refusal to reverse a RMV policy banning ICE from obtaining undercover license plates.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Neto then singled when his comebacker deflected off pitcher Will Vest.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 27 May 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.
Andrew Rice, New York Times, 29 May 2026
With Drew Gilbert on second as the automatic runner in the top of the 10th, Ramos hit a sharp grounder that deflected off of second baseman Bryson Stott’s glove and rolled into shallow center field.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
The governor deflected to a rant about a DOJ lawsuit filed Wednesday over her refusal to reverse a RMV policy banning ICE from obtaining undercover license plates.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
Neto then singled when his comebacker deflected off pitcher Will Vest.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 27 May 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 31 May. 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
