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
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Recent Examples of distract
Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 May 2026
These pressures force leaders to pursue aggressive, highly nationalist foreign expansion or trade wars to distract from internal structural failures.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2026
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The curators supply a historical backdrop, therefore, but discreetly, and without distracting us from Wright’s poetic originality.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distract
Verb
In this case, Swift opted to let the strands of her bow hang well past her ponytail, giving the hair accessory a veil-like quality without distracting from the rest of her look.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 May 2026
These pressures force leaders to pursue aggressive, highly nationalist foreign expansion or trade wars to distract from internal structural failures.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 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
Sorting foods according to the number of ingredients and the technology used to make the foods — but not the actual nutritional value — could just end up confusing people and distracting from the larger issue.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The curators supply a historical backdrop, therefore, but discreetly, and without distracting us from Wright’s poetic originality.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for distract
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distract
Verb
-
Murdaugh is arrested on felony charges, accused of diverting millions of dollars away from the estate of Satterfield, the housekeeper.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
13 May 2026
-
Yet the state is facing its own tight budget, and legislators are unlikely to divert a substantial amount of additional cash.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Instead of relying on a traditional metal antenna to capture a signal, the system uses lasers to monitor how incoming radio waves disturb the atoms.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
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Disrupting the possibility of cheerful solitude is both a stylistic and social shift, disturbing the film’s non-narrative serenity while depicting how dismantling the safety net displaces basic functions onto those least able to bear them.—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
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
Verb
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Williamson admitted to diverting $225,000 from a dormant Beccera campaign account to Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s longtime chief of staff.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Chipmakers are diverting capacity toward high-bandwidth memory for AI servers, which leaves thinner supply for conventional DRAM used in PCs, phones and other electronics.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Tell him that his approach to the trip is bothering you.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
-
Try taking 10 to 15 minutes each day to write out what's bothering you.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Now the dog is back to bothering her brother and showing off her sassy personality.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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This is a nakedly partisan power grab, and state officials haven’t really bothered to deny it.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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The right-hander has struggled to maintain his velocity this season, a perplexing trend largely stemming from an inconsistency in his mechanics.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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At the same time, the moon in Pisces makes social dynamics and exchanges more hazy and perplexing, especially with Mercury approaching a semi-square with Neptune in Aries, which will become exact tomorrow morning.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
An expansion into New Mexico would add oil revenue from the Permian Basin to Texas, adding to its economy and detracting, in turn, from New Mexico's.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Some asserted that the commitment and costs of traveling and attending meetings paired with the limited compensation was detracting members of the public from running for office.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distract.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distract. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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