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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deflects
Root deflects credit for its hilarity.
—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
My aunt is easily offended and deflects any criticism, while my dad avoids confrontation at any cost.
—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Maxey tries to create an advantage but cannot, and Bridges, with those never-ending arms, deflects the bounce and gets the steal.
—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Rue questions the nature of Jules’s relationship, but Jules deflects.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Christian therapists now widely condemn this as spiritual gaslighting that deflects accountability and compounds trauma.
—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
But Herb deflects any praise that comes his way.
—
Greg Riddle,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Mar. 2026
Takyiwaa Manuh, an emerita professor at the University of Ghana, argues that targeting the LGBTQ community deflects attention from issues of poor governance.
—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Yas deflects her concerns as naivete.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
My aunt is easily offended and deflects any criticism, while my dad avoids confrontation at any cost.
—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Maxey tries to create an advantage but cannot, and Bridges, with those never-ending arms, deflects the bounce and gets the steal.
—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Rue questions the nature of Jules’s relationship, but Jules deflects.
—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Christian therapists now widely condemn this as spiritual gaslighting that deflects accountability and compounds trauma.
—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
But Herb deflects any praise that comes his way.
—
Greg Riddle,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Mar. 2026
Takyiwaa Manuh, an emerita professor at the University of Ghana, argues that targeting the LGBTQ community deflects attention from issues of poor governance.
—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
Yas deflects her concerns as naivete.
—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflects
Verb
-
Erratic sounds escape her—her body turns inside out, fingers extending and touching nothing.
-
Hallowed Halls turns your home into a stately Victorian manor, complete with spooky portraits, eerie black-and-gold decor, and even a few séance essentials.
Verb
-
Smarter, Not Larger The conversation around AI often swings between extremes.
-
Toward the beginning of the episode, the group sits down to eat at a hole-in-the-wall barbecue spot and the camera swings around the table in a sweeping circular motion, capturing everyone laughing, bonding and sharing a meal.
Verb
-
But a road trip diverts your mind away from tech and into the present.
-
Like the lives of the characters who comprise Weinstein’s mosaic, the music is both lovingly intricate and all too easy to ignore when the algorithm diverts our attention elsewhere.
Verb
-
The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.
-
In the fourth minute, Meschack Elia whips a ball across the box to Bakambu, eight yards from goal.
Verb
-
Deadheading redirects the plant’s energy into producing more blooms.
-
Defendants may be screened for diversion programming, which redirects eligible individuals away from conviction and toward rehabilitative services, such as substance use or domestic violence offender treatment.
Verb
-
Check out this 1997 live TV version of Paranoid Android, which veers from lullaby to apocalypse within the space of a few minutes.
-
But Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed almost immediately veers off into wild subplots about murder, corruption, and corporate malfeasance, as if to emphasize that low-level romance scams are just the tip of the internet’s fetid iceberg.
Cite this Entry
“Deflects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflects. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
