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
Weak intergalactic magnetic fields are deflecting the pairs and steering the resulting GeV rays away from Earth.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
Their only goal came from Jean-Philippe Mateta deflecting a Will Hughes shot despite having 74 per cent possession and 25 shots.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Fans interpreted his remarks as throwing his teammate under the bus while deflecting blame away from himself.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Many hostage families have blamed the Israeli leader for prolonging the war, deflecting responsibility for the October 7 attacks, and sabotaging negotiations around the release of the hostages and an end to the war.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
The former prosecutor attempted to rebuff her supervisor’s advances by talking about already being in a committed relationship and deflecting his comments, the suit says.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Even Emma doesn’t seem that fazed when Cate confronts her, brushing her off and deflecting the blame to Jordan and Marie without any problem.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Tart remained in the game and came up with two big plays, deflecting a pair of passes by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — including one on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game 20-20.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
Their only goal came from Jean-Philippe Mateta deflecting a Will Hughes shot despite having 74 per cent possession and 25 shots.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Fans interpreted his remarks as throwing his teammate under the bus while deflecting blame away from himself.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Many hostage families have blamed the Israeli leader for prolonging the war, deflecting responsibility for the October 7 attacks, and sabotaging negotiations around the release of the hostages and an end to the war.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.
—Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
The former prosecutor attempted to rebuff her supervisor’s advances by talking about already being in a committed relationship and deflecting his comments, the suit says.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Even Emma doesn’t seem that fazed when Cate confronts her, brushing her off and deflecting the blame to Jordan and Marie without any problem.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Tart remained in the game and came up with two big plays, deflecting a pair of passes by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — including one on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game 20-20.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflecting
Verb
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Season-defining results turning not on the ever-growing bona fide quality of the players and the performances but on farcical decision-making.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The guy wants to create a ballroom for his rich friends while turning a blind eye to the fact that babies are going to starve when the SNAP benefits end hours from now.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The windproof and thermal wool blend fabric is the perfect shell to protect you on the many fall days in Paris, as the whipping wind adds an unexpected cool factor while strolling around town.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
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Strong, whipping winds are expected to continue across Jamaica throughout the night.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1959, Prince Edward County, Virginia, closed its public schools for five years, diverting tax monies to build a K-12 private academy for 1,400 white students and allotting their families tuition grants.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Videos taken by witnesses show cars diverting and driving away from the scene after capturing the fireball that lights up moments after the crash.—
Julia Gomez,
USA TODAY,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But younger shoppers are increasingly cutting back on small daily indulgences while redirecting those savings toward statement pieces.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
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Sympathetic nerves are those involved in the body's flight or fight response and are responsible for – among other things – adjusting heart rate and redirecting blood flow to muscles.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Balance these with dependable evergreen trees for an ever-shifting palette of color in the landscape.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
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Frequent drone and artillery attacks on the key highway and rail line have forced Kyiv to find alternative supply routes, shifting the hub function away from Pokrovsk – a major success for the Russians.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflecting. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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