1
2
as in to disturb
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
distracted by the looming tax deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in confounding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in diverting
to draw the attention or mind to something else
we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
distracted by the looming tax deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of distract
Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The rescue of a single animal does not ameliorate any of these risks—and, if anything, convoluted efforts to save one whale might distract from the work of protecting a species and its habitat.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Punk was taking off the tape from his hands and threw it onto the ring, distracting the referee enough to hit Reigns with a low blow.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distract
Verb
Others said the changes have distracted Target from basics such as consistent stocking of groceries and having a balanced mix of national brands alongside its private labels.
—Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The rescue of a single animal does not ameliorate any of these risks—and, if anything, convoluted efforts to save one whale might distract from the work of protecting a species and its habitat.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
Adjective
Choose a clean, non-distracting background that doesn’t compete with your mug for attention.
—William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Friends or significant others may be distracting or stirring drama in the background.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Punk was taking off the tape from his hands and threw it onto the ring, distracting the referee enough to hit Reigns with a low blow.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distract
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The whole situation was perplexing.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Our universe is full of mysteries, but few are as perplexing as the dark, tiny galaxies that hover around larger ones like the Milky Way.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
League sources have whispered since late October that Mosley’s job could be in jeopardy, and although Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman declined to make an in-season coaching change despite several puzzling lopsided defeats, the Magic announced Mosley’s dismissal Monday.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
However, the Echoes From the Past creators made the puzzling and terrifying artistic choice to have VR visitors ride outside the sub during the descent.—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ernie Dosio’s Family Breaks Their Silence According to Dosio’s ex-wife, Rinda Butler Dosio, the family initially received inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate information.—
Ryan Brennan
April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Retailers are charging people based on guesses, and those guesses are frequently inaccurate.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.—
Kenan Draughorne,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2022
Adjective
-
For decades, getting the most out of the terminal required that traders memorized an arcane and bewildering set of three- and four-letter keyboard commands and shortcuts, each of which called up a different feature, function, or dataset.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Right now, the process is bewildering, involving clicking through multiple pages and inputting data.—
Yehiel Kyle Israel,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The part where there's a problem is the FIFA president spreading incorrect information about ticket prices while standing to benefit a great deal from higher costs.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Low-quality over-the-counter (OTC) products, incorrect dose, or decreased absorption can be a few reasons.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
EquityProtect reports that reversing a fraudulent title costs victims up to $150,000 in legal fees.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
-
Now, rather than fall in line with the stereotypical notions of Housewifedom, Rusch leans into her quirks and remains unflappable no matter what her castmates throw her way — from claiming her divorce was fraudulent to criticizing her potato salad.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distract. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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