DISTRACTS Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

distracts

verb

present tense third-person singular of distract

as in diverts

to draw the attention or mind to something else we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside

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as in disturbs

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy distracted by the looming tax deadline

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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

Definition of diverts

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

Definition of disturbs

Verb

That sequencing bothers people who’ve spent careers being told that data systems need privacy protections designed in, not bolted on after a scandal.

— Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2026
Kurt's key takeaways What bothers me most about this scam is that criminals are going after people who may have the fewest options to protect themselves.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of bothers

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

Definition of angers

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

Definition of unsettles

Verb

The film concerns a bus full of French high-school seniors on a trip to Pompeii, where the long gaze of history meets their hormonal entanglements and a bunch of Freudian desire.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
Much of it concerns Landau’s relationship with eventual wife Nora, played by actress and TV presenter Radmila Schegoleva.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerns

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distractive

distracts

distrait

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“Distracts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracts. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of distracts

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