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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of deflects
Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.
—
John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
With most Americans unhappy with the state of the economy, the president gets combative and deflects blame.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects most of the sun’s particles, but some enter at the poles, where interactions with our atmosphere create the aurora borealis.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 12 Nov. 2025
Gustav frequently deflects Kemp’s requests for notes, pushing her questions back on her.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
This is the first time the country has had a 41-year-old vice president serving alongside a 79-year-old president who routinely deflects attention from his lame-duck status by signaling his interest in serving an unconstitutional third term in office.
—Daniel Bush, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Linebacker Cole Nilles deflects a pass on second down.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
When asked about his own legacy — a question that comes up more frequently as tributes and retrospectives accumulate — Hawke deflects with characteristic self-awareness.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And the attorney general, appointed by that president, does not say those photos do not exist and instead deflects the question with insults about the senator.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
With most Americans unhappy with the state of the economy, the president gets combative and deflects blame.
—ABC News, 21 Dec. 2025
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects most of the sun’s particles, but some enter at the poles, where interactions with our atmosphere create the aurora borealis.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 12 Nov. 2025
Gustav frequently deflects Kemp’s requests for notes, pushing her questions back on her.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
This is the first time the country has had a 41-year-old vice president serving alongside a 79-year-old president who routinely deflects attention from his lame-duck status by signaling his interest in serving an unconstitutional third term in office.
—Daniel Bush, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Linebacker Cole Nilles deflects a pass on second down.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
When asked about his own legacy — a question that comes up more frequently as tributes and retrospectives accumulate — Hawke deflects with characteristic self-awareness.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
And the attorney general, appointed by that president, does not say those photos do not exist and instead deflects the question with insults about the senator.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflects
Verb
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Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, worked through a back issue that sidelined him for all of training camp and passed for a league-best 46 touchdowns and 4,707 yards.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Leavitt turns the tables on media outrage as FBI seizes Fulton election documents.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When Bz points north, Earth’s field resists it; when Bz swings south, the two fields connect, allowing plasma to stream in.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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At 21 seconds, the person filming the video drives past the confrontation, and the camera swings to the other side of the street as someone in the car yells profanities.—
Kif Leswing,Terri Cullen,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario goes long towards midfield, where Archie Gray diverts the ball to Rodrigo Bentancur.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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These tissues regenerate constantly, so when protein is scarce, your body diverts amino acids away from these aesthetic functions toward more critical ones, like maintaining organ health and immunity.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Time,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
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When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One hack for a small space in need of division is the Japanese noren—a room divider made from cloth that redirects the flow of a space by creating, in effect, a partition wall.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
5 Feb. 2026
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The bill also redirects $879 million in electric vehicle charging network funds approved under then-President Joe Biden to other infrastructure priorities, and cuts $928 million in high-speed rail grants.—
Reuters
Wire Service,
Dallas Morning News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The film veers from JayDee’s story and takes some artistic liberties as Chito turns to transporting drugs for the character of Tío when fruit-picking isn’t enough.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
19 Jan. 2026
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After the vehicle begins to move forward and accelerate away from officers, one of them fires at the driver, who veers into the side and crashes into other cars parked on the street.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflects. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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