as in to turn
to change the course or direction of (something)
the wind deflected the Frisbee just as I was about to lunge for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflect
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
Karlie Lema charging towards goal, but her attempt toward the left post was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.
—Mercury News Staff, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
Yet during a virtual media scrum this week, Boley deflected praise to third-year o-line coach Terry Heffernan.
—David Teel, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
One possibility would be a DART-like mission designed not to deflect but to fragment the object.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Jessica Wang, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
Karlie Lema charging towards goal, but her attempt toward the left post was deflected out of bounds for a corner kick.
—Mercury News Staff, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
Yet during a virtual media scrum this week, Boley deflected praise to third-year o-line coach Terry Heffernan.
—David Teel, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
One possibility would be a DART-like mission designed not to deflect but to fragment the object.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflect
Verb
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Letang will turn 39 later this season, and Karlsson isn’t far behind at 35, so expecting any kind of a renaissance here feels unwise.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Still, there’s an inkling of hope that Swift will turn her attention to her movie in the coming months.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the 2022 and 2024 cycles, pro-Israel groups swung into Democratic primaries, spending money against progressive critics of the Jewish state and keeping several out of Congress.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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Rather than slash and swing away after spotting the play, Stott tried to get the ball down and deaden it, increasing the level of difficulty.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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In a similar incident that took place earlier this year, a 67-year-old woman reportedly died on an easyJet flight, causing the plane to be diverted mid-air.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ricamora also wants to redirect conversations about representation toward industry gatekeepers.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
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Gibbs, a father to two daughters, describes the way parenting redirected his gaze inward and, in turn, refined the work.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An overlapping full-back who can whip over a hell of a cross.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Pretty sure the border is whipped topping as well.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflect. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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