as in swinging
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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Recent Examples of deflecting
Kraken goalie Joey Daccord stopped Joel Eriksson Ek’s initial shot, with the rebound popping up and hitting Boldy in the chest, before deflecting off his stick and into the net.
—
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 2026
Murray-Boyles’ game, after all, is based on deflecting passes and disrupting the opposition’s movement.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Zucker scored less than four minutes later by deflecting in Byram’s shot from the blue line.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
His shot missed, deflecting glass onto Long Khac Nguyen’s face and setting him off on an immediate rampage, shooting several hostages, three fatally.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Cirelli notched his second of the game 11 seconds into the second, deflecting a puck away from Bryan Rust and racing up ice for a breakaway, lifting a backhand shot over Skinner for a shorthanded marker.
—CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
About 30 seconds later, Hicks rose up again, this time deflecting a shot of a one-on-one with UMD’s Aaron Pionk.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Though the tiny asteroid posed no threat to Earth, NASA had set out to test a method of deflecting and changing the path of threatening objects hurtling toward Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
According to The Planetary Society, scientists focus on deflecting an asteroid rather than destroying it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 8 Apr. 2026
Murray-Boyles’ game, after all, is based on deflecting passes and disrupting the opposition’s movement.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Zucker scored less than four minutes later by deflecting in Byram’s shot from the blue line.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
His shot missed, deflecting glass onto Long Khac Nguyen’s face and setting him off on an immediate rampage, shooting several hostages, three fatally.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Cirelli notched his second of the game 11 seconds into the second, deflecting a puck away from Bryan Rust and racing up ice for a breakaway, lifting a backhand shot over Skinner for a shorthanded marker.
—CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
About 30 seconds later, Hicks rose up again, this time deflecting a shot of a one-on-one with UMD’s Aaron Pionk.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Though the tiny asteroid posed no threat to Earth, NASA had set out to test a method of deflecting and changing the path of threatening objects hurtling toward Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
According to The Planetary Society, scientists focus on deflecting an asteroid rather than destroying it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflecting
Verb
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The Royals’ offense had its early-season frustrations a year ago before turning it on after the All-Star break — albeit too late to make a playoff run.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
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Others were forced to choose between food, medicine and warmth, with some turning their thermostats down to 60 degrees and bundling up or coming out of retirement to take part-time jobs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The famously-shy sophomore obliged, several of her teammates whipping out their phones to record the big moment.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Supergirl trailer shows him hootin' and hollerin' while doing donuts on his cycle and whipping his chain weapon around a horde of assailants.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Middle East conflict has required diverting key systems from Asia.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
10 Apr. 2026
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State officials have relied on the practice of diverting all hazmat trucks off I-70 and over 11,990-foot Loveland Pass.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Constriction of blood vessels beneath the skin restricts blood flow near the surface, reducing heat loss and redirecting warmer blood toward the body core.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
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But Miami at least salvaged the tie in the 81st minute as Luis Suarez, who’d just been subbed-in, finished with his left foot in close, redirecting a header by German Berterame off a Mateo Silvetti corner.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has said that FEMA should be eliminated or significantly scaled down, shifting more disaster response to states.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
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This traces the origins of her house, from its first, paradigm-shifting garments to its present-day incarnation under current creative director, Daniel Roseberry.—
Jane Levere,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflecting. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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