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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflects
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
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
As a result, Palace’s centre-back leaps higher than Maximilian Kilman and his header deflects off the West Ham defender, onto the bar, but Mateta is in position to score from the rebound.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Vogt, though, deflects credit to his players.
—John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Daniel Bush, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 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
As a result, Palace’s centre-back leaps higher than Maximilian Kilman and his header deflects off the West Ham defender, onto the bar, but Mateta is in position to score from the rebound.
—Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Vogt, though, deflects credit to his players.
—John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflects
Verb
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If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
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And in the fall, when the air turns crisp and the fields turn orange, this unassuming little town reminds visitors that sometimes, the most unique places grow from the simplest seeds (pun intended).—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Young feels within range for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who always swings for the fences.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The faintest of touches from Gibbs-White diverts it in.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Pureval said the move won't affect a city program that diverts nonviolent calls to mental health teams.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The wind whips across the peak, marked as per usual around here with a pile of stones and colorful prayer flags tied to the top like sails on the mast of a ship.—
Joe Baur,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
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In the video, Campos whips her long hair in disbelief.—
Christina Noriega,
Refinery29,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brown said the move redirects several million dollars to go toward households instead of paying the nonprofit to operate the program.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Democrats were quick to pan the move as a bailout that redirects foreign investment out of the US while lawmakers remain at odds over rising health care costs domestically.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The drama veers from the usual sports-movie cliches by exploring mental health and eating disorders with a dose of psychological horror.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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While Peters veers closer to a stock villain — the ubiquitous empowered dweeb, though those coding-sequence tattoo sleeves are a nice embellishment — Hasan Minhaj and Arturo Castro are appealing as Eve’s ENCOM associates.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deflects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflects. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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