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
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.
—
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
The Canucks opened the scoring midway through the first period when Jake DeBrusk drove into the offensive zone, put a shot off Oettinger’s right pad and Evander Kane deflected the rebound in from the side of the net for his 11th goal of the season.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
After playing one of its best first halves of the Schaefer era, Texas was comfortably up 51-21 with just over 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter when Breya Cunningham anticipated a Georgia entry pass and deflected the ball to a teammate.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
On the play, Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was at the net front trying to deflect the puck.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
The Canucks opened the scoring midway through the first period when Jake DeBrusk drove into the offensive zone, put a shot off Oettinger’s right pad and Evander Kane deflected the rebound in from the side of the net for his 11th goal of the season.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
After playing one of its best first halves of the Schaefer era, Texas was comfortably up 51-21 with just over 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter when Breya Cunningham anticipated a Georgia entry pass and deflected the ball to a teammate.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
On the play, Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson was at the net front trying to deflect the puck.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
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Mandel, who sells media rights to many of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, praised the company for focusing on storytelling and turning the streaming service into the home for tennis.—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Eco effort Few & Far Luvhondo operates on solar power and is 100% zero waste, in part thanks to an army of black soldier flies that turn food scraps into fertilizer.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Malkin turned around and swung his stick at Dahlin, hitting him in the neck and side of the head.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Experts think home prices are likely to remain sticky heading into spring and that mortgage rates might not swing much below 6%.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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China may also welcome Washington’s attention and military resources being diverted away from the Indo-Pacific, experts said.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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This marks the first example of a ship diverting from Europe to Asia during the current price spike, the firm said.—
Lee Ying Shan,Anniek Bao,Victor Loh,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a recent article for the People’s Daily, Duan, a professor at Xidian University, suggested that the high-frequency microwave beams used to transmit electricity could be redirected.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
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As missiles strike cities long assumed to be safe, sovereign wealth funds that have been pouring money into African renewable grids, ports, and startups may soon redirect toward immediate domestic priorities.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The texture is thick and whipped, easy to glide on post-shower, and will help keep skin moisturized for hours.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
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Fresh fruit is tossed with a decadent mixture of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and whipped topping that is ready in just 10 minutes.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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