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
Cronin was more pleased with his team-high eight deflections.
—
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Luvu had a career-high eight sacks and seven pass deflections in 2024, but his production and play dipped this season, in part because he was thrust into a different role.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Jackson leads the league in pass deflections, according to Pro Football Reference, with 19.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Diggs played in 66 career games for the franchise with 20 interceptions and 63 pass deflections.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Dec. 2025
All five goals scored came either through deflections, tips, redirects or fluky plays.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
Pride recorded 23 total tackles, two interceptions, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery this season.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
So far this season, Slay has racked up nine interceptions, three pass deflections and one fumble recovery to complement 28 solo tackles and eight assists.
—Jenn McGraw, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Riley Moss had four pass deflections in his hardest matchup of the season, and was integral to Denver’s win, even if Shannon Sharpe feels otherwise.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Luvu had a career-high eight sacks and seven pass deflections in 2024, but his production and play dipped this season, in part because he was thrust into a different role.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Jackson leads the league in pass deflections, according to Pro Football Reference, with 19.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Since being drafted in the second round in 2020, Diggs played in 66 career games for the franchise with 20 interceptions and 63 pass deflections.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Dec. 2025
All five goals scored came either through deflections, tips, redirects or fluky plays.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
Pride recorded 23 total tackles, two interceptions, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery this season.
—Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025
So far this season, Slay has racked up nine interceptions, three pass deflections and one fumble recovery to complement 28 solo tackles and eight assists.
—Jenn McGraw, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Riley Moss had four pass deflections in his hardest matchup of the season, and was integral to Denver’s win, even if Shannon Sharpe feels otherwise.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflections
deviations
Noun
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This followed a dizzying number of deviations by Greene from the party line, dating back to early summer—foremost were her very public calls for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.—
Amanda Luberto,
AZCentral.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflections.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflections. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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