as in to turn
to change the course or direction of (something)
the wind deflected the Frisbee just as I was about to lunge for it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflect
Then came Draisaitl’s crowd-silencer -- after Sam Bennett had nearly ended the OT with Florida on top, his rocket-shot deflected by the goalie’s glove and ricocheting off the crossbar.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
Cricket is played on an oval – balls can be batted or deflected in any direction and potentially produce runs.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Kirby appeared to put his right hand up to protect his face just in the nick of time, partially blocking the ball’s initial trajectory towards his jaw and slightly deflecting it up near his mouth.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 June 2025
This opens up a few options: players can flip into a rail grind or drive along walls — or, as teased by Nintendo staff at preview events, the move can be used to deflect items when mastered (think: blue shell).
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
Cricket is played on an oval – balls can be batted or deflected in any direction and potentially produce runs.
—Laurence Miedema, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Kirby appeared to put his right hand up to protect his face just in the nick of time, partially blocking the ball’s initial trajectory towards his jaw and slightly deflecting it up near his mouth.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 June 2025
This opens up a few options: players can flip into a rail grind or drive along walls — or, as teased by Nintendo staff at preview events, the move can be used to deflect items when mastered (think: blue shell).
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
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By 1913 Henry Ford’s moving-belt assembly line cut build time to 93 minutes, and cheap Texas oil kept the tank full, turning personal mobility from luxury to the default setting.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
22 June 2025
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And proves once again that Southerners can turn almost anything into a dip.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
22 June 2025
Verb
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The next step, Thomson said, is to get Harper outside Friday to throw more and swing off a tee.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Telfar bags swung next to kente cloth wraps, and authors like Clarence Haynes signed copies of his new novel, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery, as lines snaked through the crowds.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Severe weather conditions in the area led to ground stops and flights being diverted at the airport on Friday.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
28 June 2025
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Sharing surplus meals through community apps like Too Good To Go helps to address food insecurity while diverting food from landfills.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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After completing their primary missions, both were redirected to explore the outer reaches of the Solar System.—
Scott Snowden,
Space.com,
18 June 2025
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These services have been against Meta’s policies for a while now, but Crush AI continually avoided detection by making new profiles on the company's ad tools and using domains that redirected to a different URL.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2025
Verb
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The San Diego native whipped a low cross into the box, which both Adriana Leon and Ascanio narrowly missed.—
Fernando Ramirez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
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Chelsea took the lead on 13 minutes when Neto raced away from deep inside the Flamengo half and opened his body before whipping the ball past Agustin Rossi.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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