distraction

noun

dis·​trac·​tion di-ˈstrak-shən How to pronounce distraction (audio)
1
: something that distracts : an object that directs one's attention away from something else
turned off her phone to limit distractions
One created a distraction while the other grabbed the money.
especially : amusement
a harmless distraction
a book of word puzzles and other distractions
2
: the act of distracting or the state of being distracted
especially : mental confusion
driven to distraction by their endless chatter
distractive adjective

Examples of distraction in a Sentence

It was hard to work with so many distractions. One of them created a distraction while the other grabbed the money. A weekend at the beach was a good distraction from her troubles. Their endless chatter drove her to distraction.
Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps your leader wants to support your growth and development, but their boss has forbade any investment in developmental opportunities as a distraction. Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Outside of the library of distractions, there’s the main game mode. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024 With recent guests including Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Liz Cheney, Behar agreed that there should be no distractions from the Nov. 5 Election Day. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2024 Teams considered off-ice appearances to be distractions. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for distraction 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distraction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English distraccioun "state of being distracted, diversion of mind," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French distraccion "inattentiveness," borrowed from Late Latin distractiōn-, distractiō "diversion of mind," going back to Latin, "action of tearing apart," from distrac-, variant stem of distrahere "to pull apart, break up, separate, draw (a person's mind) in contrary directions" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at distract entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of distraction was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near distraction

Cite this Entry

“Distraction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distraction. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

distraction

noun
dis·​trac·​tion dis-ˈtrak-shən How to pronounce distraction (audio)
1
: the act of distracting : the state of being distracted
especially : mental confusion
2
a
: something that makes it hard to pay attention
distractive adjective

Medical Definition

distraction

noun
dis·​trac·​tion dis-ˈtrak-shən How to pronounce distraction (audio)
1
a
: diversion of the attention
b
: mental confusion
2
: excessive separation (as from improper traction) of fracture fragments
distract transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on distraction

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