as in deviations
a turning away from a course or standard
a stern father who would not tolerate the slightest deflection from the strict moral code that he imposed on his children
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Recent Examples of deflections
Spurs need to be lucky too, with injuries, decisions, deflections and little details — precisely the things that have gone against them for so long.
—
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
But such deflections come too easily for Villanueva.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Davidson had 137 tackles, five sacks, six pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in four seasons with ASU.
—Matthew Davis, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
In his two seasons under Hafley, the Packers safety snagged 10 interceptions, racked up 21 pass deflections and 195 total tackles.
—Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
He was named team MVP his senior year and finished his college career with nine interceptions and 40 pass deflections, as well as one punt return for a touchdown.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Cisse had five pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble last season.
—Jonathan M. Alexander, Houston Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026
For the next several hours—the film, though extraordinarily rigorous, is not bound by the strictures of real time—Kornev’s persistence will be met with deflections, delays, and excuses.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Last season with the Commanders, Jones had 41 tackles, five pass deflections and one quarterback hit in 12 games, including seven starts.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
But such deflections come too easily for Villanueva.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Davidson had 137 tackles, five sacks, six pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in four seasons with ASU.
—Matthew Davis, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
In his two seasons under Hafley, the Packers safety snagged 10 interceptions, racked up 21 pass deflections and 195 total tackles.
—Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
He was named team MVP his senior year and finished his college career with nine interceptions and 40 pass deflections, as well as one punt return for a touchdown.
—Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Cisse had five pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble last season.
—Jonathan M. Alexander, Houston Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026
For the next several hours—the film, though extraordinarily rigorous, is not bound by the strictures of real time—Kornev’s persistence will be met with deflections, delays, and excuses.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Last season with the Commanders, Jones had 41 tackles, five pass deflections and one quarterback hit in 12 games, including seven starts.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflections
deviations
Noun
-
For computational specialists, this typically means accepting deviations of five to ten millielectronvolts per atom, which area small enough area to preserve meaningful trends.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
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The platform’s new AI agent, René, allows dispatchers and fleet managers to investigate operational inefficiencies through simple conversational queries, identifying the root causes of issues like excessive overtime or route deviations.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflections.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflections. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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