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
One of them skimmed past Joonas Korpisalo after deflecting off Tanner Jeannot.
—
Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 10 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
Fixed a bug where Executor could not use pre-inputs for actions after deflecting an enemy attack with the Cursed Sword under certain circumstances.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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
Bailey wound up deflecting 21 throws and picking off 10 others.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Strain sensors measure the degree to which the flex is deflecting the channel, as determined by chain tension.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 10 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
Fixed a bug where Executor could not use pre-inputs for actions after deflecting an enemy attack with the Cursed Sword under certain circumstances.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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
Bailey wound up deflecting 21 throws and picking off 10 others.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Strain sensors measure the degree to which the flex is deflecting the channel, as determined by chain tension.
—New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflecting
Verb
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The innovation is part of a growing effort to merge menstrual care with wearable health technology, turning everyday products into tools for early disease detection and better reproductive health monitoring.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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Turning to a zone defense in the second half of Game 1 suffocated Phoenix’s offense, denying Alyssa Thomas the middle of the floor and turning the tide of the game.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While summer may be over, nothing is stopping you from whipping this thing out for the holiday season.—
Wilder Davies,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Oct. 2025
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The wind was whipping this past week at McGrath Stadium, mist in the air.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The trust fund is for pension payments only, prohibiting officials from diverting that money elsewhere, Watson said.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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The airport has been nearly 20 years in the making, a process that involved flattening hills, diverting rivers and bridging creeks.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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From that perspective, a human existence is a tangle of complex competing commitments, emotions, capabilities, and character traits, not crisp either/or choices about redirecting a trolley car.—
Lula Konner,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Oct. 2025
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The White House has argued that the compact will strengthen free speech on campus by protecting conservative viewpoints and redirecting resources toward the sciences.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Oklahoma signed up for the challenge of the SEC in making its tectonic-shifting realignment move.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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The holiday affirms indigenous heritage, shifting the focus away from honoring Europeans who brought harm to Native peoples, historians note.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflecting. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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