deflect

verb

de·flect | \ di-ˈflekt

, dē- \

deflected; deflecting; deflects

Definition of deflect

: 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

Other Words from deflect Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about deflect

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Other Words from deflect

deflectable \ di-ˈflek-tə-bəl

, dē- \ adjective

deflective \ di-ˈflek-tiv

, dē- \ adjective

deflector \ di-ˈflek-tər

, dē- \ noun

Synonyms for deflect

Synonyms

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 In the wake of the Alaska meeting and new sanctions, Chinese officials and state media have escalated their attempts to deflect criticism by highlighting alleged human rights abuses in Western countries. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "China has unleashed the nationalist genie. Beijing may regret letting it out of the bottle," 26 Mar. 2021 It’s easiest for influencers to deflect and let the internet’s short attention span latch onto something else. — Zoe Haylock, Vulture, "Welcome to the Circus," 2 Mar. 2021 With less than four minutes left in Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, Curry weaved past two screens from 6-foot-11, 240-pound Domantas Sabonis to stick with Indiana guard Justin Holiday, deflect his pass and force a turnover. — Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, "How Warriors' Steph Curry transformed himself into a quality defender," 25 Feb. 2021 In many of Fletcher’s homes, locally grown, clear vertical-grain cedar covered ceilings that extended just far enough past exterior walls to deflect rain and provide shade without blocking natural light. — oregonlive, "Midcentury architectural marvel, Portland’s Wedgewood Home of Tomorrow, is for sale at $639,000," 12 Jan. 2021 But in an attempt to deflect from the actual political issues at hand, a third party has been thrust into the hot seat, too: the moderator. — Ella Lee, USA TODAY, "Fact check: Post about debate moderator, White House holiday party lacks context," 20 Oct. 2020 The question is a disingenuous attempt to deflect attention from the more profoundly important issues connected to this election. — John M. Crisp Tribune News Service (tns), Star Tribune, "Democrats should not answer the court packing question," 12 Oct. 2020 Emily Siegrist, the Democrat running against Knodl, said the new legislation was an attempt by Republicans to deflect from their lack of action on the coronavirus. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Republicans try to shift attention to civil unrest instead of COVID-19 as cases continue to surge," 9 Oct. 2020 Facebook has already tried to deflect attention from the company’s role in the mayhem and violence. — Washington Post, "Lawmakers want answers on the role Google, Facebook and Twitter played in the attacks on the Capitol and viral covid-19 misinformation," 25 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deflect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.