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
Head coach Jordi Fernández has been consistent about it since Day 1, emphasizing ball pressure, deflections and making the other team uncomfortable.
—
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Toolson also came up with three steals and countless more deflections that allowed TCU to play in transition.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Submerged by a deluge of battles lost, assignments missed and a pair of deflections off Vancouver defenders into their own net.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Mundelein 16-10 (4) Anahya Castro’s rebounds and deflections have been important for the Mustangs’ defense.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Mary Briceno scored 13 points with six steals while Tiara Cooks had 10 points with three steals and seven deflections.
—Butch Hart, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Texas picked it up in the second half and finished with 37 deflections and four kills — a kill represents three consecutive defensive stops — to stymie a Bulldogs team that had won four of its last five games on the road.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Richard played three games in 2025, making six tackles with one sack and two pass deflections.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
Toolson also came up with three steals and countless more deflections that allowed TCU to play in transition.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Submerged by a deluge of battles lost, assignments missed and a pair of deflections off Vancouver defenders into their own net.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Mundelein 16-10 (4) Anahya Castro’s rebounds and deflections have been important for the Mustangs’ defense.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Mary Briceno scored 13 points with six steals while Tiara Cooks had 10 points with three steals and seven deflections.
—Butch Hart, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Texas picked it up in the second half and finished with 37 deflections and four kills — a kill represents three consecutive defensive stops — to stymie a Bulldogs team that had won four of its last five games on the road.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Richard played three games in 2025, making six tackles with one sack and two pass deflections.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflections
deviations
Noun
-
There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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But the developer would have to go to the Advisory Plan Commission if the final plan has any deviations from the PUD.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflections.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflections. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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