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
Kuzmenko’s pass deflected off Fiala’s skate on the left doorstep and past Gustavsson for Fiala’s 15th of the season.
—
Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Its orange light is the result of an atmospheric effect called Rayleigh Scattering, wherein particles deflect the bluer wavelengths of light reflected from the lunar surface, while allowing redder wavelengths to pass through relatively unaffected.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Andrei Kuzmenko's pass deflected off Fiala's skate on the left doorstep and past Gurstavsson for Fiala's 15th of the season.
—CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The United States will likely justify its use of military force as being in self-defense to deflect criticism about violating the United Nations Charter’s prohibition on the use of force.
—Sandeep Gopalan, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Its orange light is the result of an atmospheric effect called Rayleigh Scattering, wherein particles deflect the bluer wavelengths of light reflected from the lunar surface, while allowing redder wavelengths to pass through relatively unaffected.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Andrei Kuzmenko's pass deflected off Fiala's skate on the left doorstep and past Gurstavsson for Fiala's 15th of the season.
—CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
The United States will likely justify its use of military force as being in self-defense to deflect criticism about violating the United Nations Charter’s prohibition on the use of force.
—Sandeep Gopalan, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
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Researchers in Germany are set to turn green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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Together, these trends have turned industrial space into a cornerstone of national logistics and digital capacity.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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At the end of Monday's live Atlas demonstration, the humanoid prototype swung its arms in a theatrical gesture to introduce a static model of the new product version of Atlas, which looked slightly different and was blue in color.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Chiefs’ special teams also never swung the field with a return for a touchdown.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sacramento police diverted traffic from N Street between Fifth and Sixth streets downtown as the march proceeded, Gamble said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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The district that would divert sales tax money to pay for the stadium would cover nearly all of Wyandotte County, and state and team officials are looking to redirect local sales tax revenue in addition to state taxes to pay back stadium debt.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If you're redirected to a CAPTCHA on an unfamiliar site or after clicking a suspicious link, stop immediately.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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These practices help to declutter my mind and redirect my neural traffic.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There were some frightening moments early Monday for a Miramar man after police say he was pistol whipped during a home invasion and his French bulldog was stolen.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
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Or whips around his defender in a bold pirouette.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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