as in to distract
to draw the attention or mind to something else
numerous typos in the text detract the reader's attention from the novel's intricate plot
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Recent Examples of detract
That shouldn’t detract too much from what remain a hugely stylish, powerful little laptop that is ideally suited to business executives who want a device to slip into their hand luggage.
—
Barry Collins, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, benefitting turnips, while turnips detract aphids, which benefits peas.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2024
And remember, competition is anything that detracts people from your business.
—Michael Newman, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
In the first commercial for his shoe, Edwards pulls out signature models from rival brands and detracts them compared to his own.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for detract
Barry Collins, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, benefitting turnips, while turnips detract aphids, which benefits peas.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2024
And remember, competition is anything that detracts people from your business.
—Michael Newman, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024
In the first commercial for his shoe, Edwards pulls out signature models from rival brands and detracts them compared to his own.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for detract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detract
Verb
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To many climate advocates, focusing too much on measures to prepare society for the physical costs of climate change risked distracting from efforts to cut emissions.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
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Critics, though, have argued that these efforts are serving to distract from the country’s record of repressing free speech and dissent, as well as human rights violations, which have been widely reported.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trump dropped a pending Securities and Exchange lawsuit against his key financial backer Binance that claimed the company was misleading its customers and diverting their funds.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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The munition can also be diverted mid-flight if battlefield conditions change — a feature that commanders say minimizes collateral damage and protects soldiers.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detract. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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