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
  • Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.
    — Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods.
    — Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 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
  • Kurt's key takeaways What bothers me most about DoppelCart is how convincing these fake stores can look.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • What bothers Fairchild is the assumption behind it — that the dancers are voiceless and helpless.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • What worries her is that such existential fears could distract from present harms the technology is already causing, such as AI deepfakes, mental health challenges and the potential for job loss.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Eviction laws vary by state, but Batko worries that defaulting on even a single rent payment in some states can mean losing one's housing.
    — Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 23 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
  • There is precedent for this, though precedent might not be the right word given it concerns future events.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Meta glasses become hearing aids The more unexpected announcement concerns Meta’s non-VR glasses.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Distracts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracts. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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