diverging

verb

present participle of diverge
1
as in deviating
to change one's course or direction the deer abruptly diverged from its intended path the moment it spied the waiting lynx

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in separating
to go or move in different directions from a central point at that point the road and the railroad tracks diverge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 diverging And by then, the two airlines entered the pandemic with diverging strategies. — Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026 Her older two, about two years apart, were starting school, and their needs were diverging. — Amanda Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026 Those accomplishments do not disappear simply because our professional paths are diverging. — Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026 But with the ChatGPT era altering how consumers engage online, the companies are diverging. — Ari Levy, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026 On the classic Aerial Adventure ropes course, three difficulty levels with a handful of diverging paths give visitors plenty of reasons to try the obstacles more than once. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 On Cloudmonster and Roger Clubhouse offer diverging monochrome treatments. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 In a powerfully compelling novel that brims with the cadences of the Black South, Jones explores the women’s diverging lives while using them as a lens to observe social injustice in language that is intimate, conversational, and musical. — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026 Directing a microdrama and directing a feature-length film are very different tasks, typically diverging in budgets, schedules and expectations for a viewer’s attention span. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diverging
  1. deviating
  2. separating
  3. turning
  4. parting
  5. dividing
  6. forking
  7. retreating
  8. spreading
Verb
  • Atkinson said deviating from his offensive and defensive principles is not an option — again, at least not so early into the season.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The complication shows the moon phases for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, with a 135-tooth driving wheel that drastically enhances accuracy, deviating by just one day every 122 years.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of deviating
Verb
  • There can also be, unfortunately, a splitting up of the household if parents are getting divorced or separating.
    — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
  • The 12 rural counties that voted Tuesday to explore separating from Illinois have a combined population of just over 252,000 people, according to 2025 Census estimates, roughly 2% of Illinois’ population.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of separating
Verb
  • Whoever decided turning 60 meant auto-scheduling a pixie chop clearly missed the memo.
    — Colleen Sullivan, InStyle, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Current prototypes in pipeline NASA is actively turning these concepts into hardware.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of turning
Verb
  • The spacecraft duly swung by Jupiter's and Saturn's systems (some months apart from each other) to great acclaim before parting pathways.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Well, maybe against the Colts, who are parting out their team.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of parting
Verb
  • The velocity at time t = 1 could therefore be calculated by dividing the distance traveled between t = 1 and t = 1 + dt, written as s(1 + dt) – s(1), by the time interval dt.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Suggest a specific adjustment, such as changing the timing or dividing the responsibility differently.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of dividing
Verb
  • Buying Riley out of his deal would mean forking over upwards of $70 million, plus more for his assistants.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates championed the idea; the tech mogul argued that by not taxing those tools, but still forking over payroll taxes on employee earnings, employers are incentivized to replace humans with machines.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of forking
Verb
  • Shy, retreating Minnie was happy to bask in Callie’s light, while Helen’s existence was almost entirely dedicated to her only daughter.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The actual battle had ended with Glover’s men retreating across the Hutchinson River.
    — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of retreating
Verb
  • Grey Owl Eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’) is a low-growing and low-spreading shrub that reaches 3 to 4 feet high and 6 to 8 feet wide with silver-grey foliage and blue berries.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Melanoma that has not penetrated into the deeper layer of the skin carries very little risk of spreading, in comparison.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of spreading

Browse Nearby Words

diverges
diverging
divers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diverging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diverging. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All