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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deflect
But behind the scenes, Republican insiders say there’s anything but silence about the audit, describing a flurry of private conversations where people from various wings of the party are trying to both deflect and cast blame.
—
Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
When a massive galaxy or galaxy cluster happens to align with a more distant galaxy behind it, the background galaxy's light is deflected on its way to Earth.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
And the attorney general, appointed by that president, does not say those photos do not exist and instead deflects the question with insults about the senator.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Whitehouse asked Bondi whether the FBI ever got the money back or whether Homan reported the income on his taxes, questions that Bondi deflected by pointing out the investigation was closed.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
When a massive galaxy or galaxy cluster happens to align with a more distant galaxy behind it, the background galaxy's light is deflected on its way to Earth.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
And the attorney general, appointed by that president, does not say those photos do not exist and instead deflects the question with insults about the senator.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Whitehouse asked Bondi whether the FBI ever got the money back or whether Homan reported the income on his taxes, questions that Bondi deflected by pointing out the investigation was closed.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
-
As the credits appeared on TV, Breakker hit Rollins with a spear, turning his back on his former stablemate of The Vision.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The actor, who turned 98 on March 31, spoke to PEOPLE earlier this year.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Tucker swung through it once again.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Financial, production, and human resources have been diverted to the defense sector, causing the civilian economy to struggle with increasing demand.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Similarly, about three-fourths of DEA agents, a third of US deputy marshals, and nearly all Homeland Security Investigations agents have been diverted to work on immigration, according to ICE documents detailing assignments through the end of August that were first obtained by the Cato Institute.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, with the number of residents dwindling, the government has decided to take down some shelters and redirect resources elsewhere.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In the past, Ogles has spoken about his strategy of keeping campaign operations lean while redirecting donors to super PACs that later made independent expenditures supporting his campaign.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The question was whether new coach Marco Sturm was going to be able to whip this team into the hard-to-play-against, defensively sound unit they were designed to be.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Harrison's head whipped back and slammed into the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share