refracted; refracting; refracts
1
a
: to subject (something, such as a ray of light) to refraction
b
: to alter or distort as if by refraction
to refract that familiar world through the mind and heart of a romantic … woman—
Anton Myrer
Anton Myrer2
: to determine the refracting power of
Examples of refract in a Sentence
Light is refracted when it hits water.
Recent Examples on the Web
These debates refracted the larger issues of national identity that continue to undermine the coherence of the Pakistani state.
—Feroz Hassan Khan, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Durang’s plays—madcap, savage, disturbed—mix absurdism and melancholy, refracting the funny terror of existence.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
But her juxtapositions also play out like a prism refracting myriad social scenes that Ernaux was able to describe with nuanced observation.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
Multiple layers of the window create reflective and refracted images.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Even more than most politicians, Biden refracts the world through the lens of the individual—through an accounting of people’s idiosyncrasies and biographies, their talents, flaws, and blind spots.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere refracts, or bends, the reddish light toward the moon, which reflects it with a red glow.
—Carlie Procell, The Courier-Journal, 25 Jan. 2024
This directionality, called anisotropy, is the optical magic behind modern liquid crystal displays, which refract light differently depending on their orientation.
—WIRED, 10 Dec. 2023
The documentary’s opening shots depict Gordon swimming in outdoor pools, her body reflecting and refracting off the water as the camera’s lens wanders over stretch marks.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
Feroz Hassan Khan, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Durang’s plays—madcap, savage, disturbed—mix absurdism and melancholy, refracting the funny terror of existence.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
But her juxtapositions also play out like a prism refracting myriad social scenes that Ernaux was able to describe with nuanced observation.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
Multiple layers of the window create reflective and refracted images.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Even more than most politicians, Biden refracts the world through the lens of the individual—through an accounting of people’s idiosyncrasies and biographies, their talents, flaws, and blind spots.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere refracts, or bends, the reddish light toward the moon, which reflects it with a red glow.
—Carlie Procell, The Courier-Journal, 25 Jan. 2024
This directionality, called anisotropy, is the optical magic behind modern liquid crystal displays, which refract light differently depending on their orientation.
—WIRED, 10 Dec. 2023
The documentary’s opening shots depict Gordon swimming in outdoor pools, her body reflecting and refracting off the water as the camera’s lens wanders over stretch marks.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'refract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near refract
Cite this Entry
“Refract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refract. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refract
verb
re·fract
ri-ˈfrakt 
: to cause to go through refraction
Medical Definition
refract
transitive verb
re·fract
ri-ˈfrakt
1
: to subject (as a ray of light) to refraction
2
: to determine the refracting power of or abnormality of refraction in (as an eye or a lens)
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