distracts

present tense third-person singular of distract

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distracts Often, undercapitalization is a major challenge for new franchisees and distracts from operations. Angelo Chavez, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Scientists now are spending an increasing amount of time worrying about keeping the lights on and people employed, which ultimately distracts from time spent doing research. Abdullah Shihipar, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026 All the while, a clean-up crew led by Drew Starkey’s kinky, idiosyncratic hit man Cyrus follows close behind, but this is a third, more vestigial movie, which only distracts from the main event. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 The antagonist of the new Toy Story film is a tablet, whose addictive presence distracts the toys’ young owner from unstructured, creative play. Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 There’s the studio version, which has some really interesting production, with Meg’s shuddering percussion that eventually grates and distracts, and Jack’s very chunky guitar. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026 Outer Banks’ success has always rested on an emotional depth that distracts from nonsense plot points and over-the-top escapades. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 Mother’s explosion distracts Blaine and frees Sam. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 May 2026 In my view, platforming these young men and sensationalizing their behaviors, rather than recognizing those behaviors as signs of psychological distress, distracts from the urgent need to address these serious mental health concerns. Jordyn Tovey, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracts
Verb
  • Instead, your body diverts its limited calories elsewhere, pushing hair follicles into a two- to four-month resting phase before hair eventually sheds.
    Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Blocking one chokepoint diverts traffic to others, congesting alternatives.
    Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods.
    Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Traffic between somebody else's router and somebody else's laptop, say in a random coffee shop or an airport, can provide the radio field that your body disturbs to create your specific signature.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • If the expansion detracts somehow from the SARA cult fever, the co-owners are OK with that.
    Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 2017
Verb
  • What bothers Fairchild is the assumption behind it — that the dancers are voiceless and helpless.
    Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Having my mother in so much of the film [is what] bothers me.
    Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Thabet also worries about his sister, who hasn't been able to afford her diabetes medication for over a month.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Stocks have gone too long without a proper shakeup, worries Bank of America.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • According to the myth, Agamemnon angers the goddess Artemis by killing one of her sacred deer.
    Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Spry said the attacker could have targeted any neighborhood residents — a thought that still unsettles her, given how easily the situation could have escalated.
    Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.
    Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Aero Plantation’s roads are privately owned and maintained by the neighborhood, a distinction residents cited in explaining why outside traffic concerns them.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Florida counsel must analyze how that threshold operates when the allegation concerns injury severity rather than collision causation, under the statute and the controlling seat belt decisions.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distracts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracts. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster