as in turns
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 deflects
Vogt, though, deflects credit to his players.
—
John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflects
Verb
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The decision turns less on predicting the next Fed meeting and more on projecting a company’s earning power far into the future.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Maria is a wonderfully textured character, at turns flinty and cold and vivacious and funny, and Maura is adept at embodying all sides to this woman.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Why Regeneration, Not Reinvention Whenever HR is critiqued, the pendulum swings toward reinvention.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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With Venice the fall’s first awards season launchpad, eyes will be keenly trained on how the jury swings tonight.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This invites empathy, diverts the conversation toward healing rather than fault-finding and helps both partners challenge the automatic assumption that blame is the only way to respond.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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That type of financing essentially diverts the growth in taxes that comes after redevelopment so it can be invested in ways that support the project.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To accomplish this, Barton turned to the fundamental dance technique of spotting, where the dancer finds a focal point in front of them and whips their head around to hold that focus spot and keep themself centered.—
Oliver Sava,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025
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Wind whips both the sound waves and temperatures around, so bring a blanket even if it’s not forecast to rain or hail.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Once scanned, the code redirects them to fraudulent websites that ask for sensitive personal information, such as banking information, credit card numbers or login credentials.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Deadheading redirects energy from seed production to root and vegetative growth of annuals and perennials.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the series veers more toward the action side of things, stealth is also incredibly important.—
George Yang,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflects. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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