misdirection

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noun mis·di·rec·tion \ -ˈrek-shən \

Definition of misdirection

1 :a wrong direction

2 a :the act or an instance of misdirecting or diverting

b :the state of being misdirected

Recent Examples of misdirection from the Web

Telltale’s let the Fables universe linger for years on 2014’s cliffhanger ending, and even this week threw out some misdirection to quash rumors of an impending announcement.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "Telltale reveals Wolf Among Us 2, a final Walking Dead season, and another Batman," 19 July 2017
This is why, as always, the finger-pointing at Reince Priebus — and the rest of the staff — is a misdirection.

— rich lowry, National Review, "Reince for President," 14 July 2017
Meanwhile, the White House’s response has been, and continues to be, an odd mix of silence, denial, and misdirection.

— richard durbin, Fortune, "Sen. Dick Durbin: I Have Questions for Donald Trump Jr.," 12 July 2017
This is a rich farrago of truth, misdirection, and hand-waving.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Trump Uncertainty Principle," 6 July 2017
And then, of course, came the unthinkable bit of misdirection: Rousey lost.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Fading fast: Ronda Rousey shows how quickly the 'where are they now' point can be reached," 28 June 2017
Stranger danger for Internet news The problem is that most people weren't raised to expect that their social spaces would be full of bots, blabbing the results of simple algorithms and infecting human conversations with misdirection.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "We desperately need a way to defend against online propaganda," 26 June 2017
Stranger danger for Internet news The problem is that most people weren't raised to expect that their social spaces would be full of bots, blabbing the results of simple algorithms and infecting human conversations with misdirection.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "We desperately need a way to defend against online propaganda," 26 June 2017
On Sunday, there was also some confusion – or misdirection – about what exactly the Senate bill would do.

— author: ashley parker, david weigel, robert costa, Alaska Dispatch News, "Senate Republicans face key week as more senators waver in their support for health-care bill," 26 June 2017

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

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