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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Examples of deflect in a Sentence
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Adams hit a grounder that deflected off third baseman Miguel Vargas’ glove, and Wagaman scored easily to end the marathon.
—
Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2024
Dan Ndoye saw his shot deflected onto the crossbar as the visiting side looked for an equalizer in an open first half, and the forward then rattled the post minutes later.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
And with that, at the same time, scientists are developing extra technology to help work out how to deflect or destroy these asteroids.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
The photon might have been produced by a distant quasar and the role of the double-slit screen played by a galaxy whose gravitational field will deflect the photon leftward or rightward with equal probability.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deflect 
Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2024
Dan Ndoye saw his shot deflected onto the crossbar as the visiting side looked for an equalizer in an open first half, and the forward then rattled the post minutes later.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
And with that, at the same time, scientists are developing extra technology to help work out how to deflect or destroy these asteroids.
—Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
The photon might have been produced by a distant quasar and the role of the double-slit screen played by a galaxy whose gravitational field will deflect the photon leftward or rightward with equal probability.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deflect
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deflect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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