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
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
The Attorney General of the United States deflects and denies.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
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
The Attorney General of the United States deflects and denies.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflects
Verb
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
12 June 2026
-
For a moment, the mood turns sour.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Marie dips them in paint and swings them like a brush, leaving thick, violent marks across a white canvas.—
Nia Dumas,
NPR,
16 June 2026
-
Think about a car door that swings open near a cyclist.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
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.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
8 June 2026
-
And focusing on Marilyn and a bathing suit, and calling that exploitation sort of diverts the conversation away from where she actually was exploited.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The vessel bends, blocks, and whips the wind into complex micro-currents before the air ever hits the sails.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
In the fourth minute, Meschack Elia whips a ball across the box to Bakambu, eight yards from goal.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
This means heavy servings of stuffing, potatoes, pie and gravy require significant energy to digest, which redirects blood flow toward the gut and away from the brain.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
27 Nov. 2025
-
If the merchant isn't onboard (like Amazon, presumably), the link redirects to their official website.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For cocktails, try a matcha grasshopper, or keep it classic with a gin and tonic that veers far from rail gin with flat tonic from the soda gun.—
Kaitlyn Rosati,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2026
-
Check out this 1997 live TV version of Paranoid Android, which veers from lullaby to apocalypse within the space of a few minutes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflects. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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