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
Plata then passes the ball to Araujo… … who tries to find Lucas’ third-man run, but the ball deflects off Gusto…
… and Flamengo’s centre-forward does the job.
—
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 21 June 2025
Pickett’s through ball found Banda free in space, who then dribbled into the box and fired off a shot that deflected off two defenders before nestling in the back of the net.
—Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
Luna had two assists, one of which was a shot deflected into the net by a teammate.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Reinhart’s second goal was deflected off his skate on a sweet pass from in close by Barkov.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 21 June 2025
Pickett’s through ball found Banda free in space, who then dribbled into the box and fired off a shot that deflected off two defenders before nestling in the back of the net.
—Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
Luna had two assists, one of which was a shot deflected into the net by a teammate.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Reinhart’s second goal was deflected off his skate on a sweet pass from in close by Barkov.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
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The downside is that each method has a potential reaction from the AGI or ASI that could turn things ugly.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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With an additional retrofit kit, the Allegro 2 can be converted into a tower, turning it into a double duty piece of equipment.—
Amy Wilkinson,
SELF,
1 July 2025
Verb
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As a tugboat pushed against the front right side of the ship, the back of the vessel began to swing toward the Brooklyn Bridge.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
30 June 2025
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Jessica Alba and her 17-year-old daughter Honor swung by Wimbledon on their way back from Venice, Italy, where the pair attended the Bezos-Sánchez wedding.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
30 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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Public input does prompt the county to redirect money toward services and programs.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 June 2025
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Cons: Some roles redirect to external sites, and there are occasional off-target matches.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
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The comet will also whip by Mars on October 2 at 18 million miles (30 million kilometers) from the red planet.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
3 July 2025
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An Italian meringue involves carefully and slowly drizzling a hot sugar syrup into egg whites while whipping them.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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