1
as in amused
to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied
a light comedy to divert the tired business executive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in turned
to change the course or direction of (something)
the bike race was diverted around the construction zone
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in distracted
to draw the attention or mind to something else
trying to divert the child with a toy while the doctor was giving her a shot
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 diverted
Following the crash, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook that the westbound lane of I-10 near the 534-mile marker was closed and that traffic was being diverted.
—
Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, and Usiripalli was taken into custody.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The Pentagon diverted money in its budget to prevent military families from missing their paychecks earlier this month.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025
His double in the final — a cheeky free kick and a left-footed volley at the back-post — officially took his tournament tally up to five, but the Famalicao forward saw three further shots diverted into the net for own goals.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The film, produced by Star Platinum, dramatizes a 1970 incident in which a communist group hijacked a passenger plane and diverted it to Pyongyang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
The Thursday flight was safely diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport, where the 134 passengers and six crew members on board switched planes and continued their journey to Los Angeles, Carlton said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
The aircraft, carrying 140 passengers and crew, diverted safely to Salt Lake City International Airport.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, and Usiripalli was taken into custody.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
The Pentagon diverted money in its budget to prevent military families from missing their paychecks earlier this month.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025
His double in the final — a cheeky free kick and a left-footed volley at the back-post — officially took his tournament tally up to five, but the Famalicao forward saw three further shots diverted into the net for own goals.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
The film, produced by Star Platinum, dramatizes a 1970 incident in which a communist group hijacked a passenger plane and diverted it to Pyongyang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
The Thursday flight was safely diverted to Salt Lake City International Airport, where the 134 passengers and six crew members on board switched planes and continued their journey to Los Angeles, Carlton said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
The aircraft, carrying 140 passengers and crew, diverted safely to Salt Lake City International Airport.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diverted
Verb
-
Her husband seemed amused by her confusion.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The October 19 post has received numerous comments, with viewers amused by the golden retriever’s dramatic response.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Others have turned toward the distant past to understand what has been lost and assess what can be recovered.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In the days following Phoenix’s death, fans turned the outside of The Viper Room into a temporary shrine for the late actor.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Several reasons were to blame for the scary-low turnout, including a dearth of new releases as well as the misfortune of Halloween landing on a Friday, which meant families were distracted by trick-or-treating.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Once written, the script’s fantastic promise distracted its readers from the fatal holes in its plot.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These are heavy topics in a time when people just want to watch the show and be entertained.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The production draws on a long history of curiosity amusements in which people looked to be entertained by viewing others with unusual or non-normative bodies, especially in nineteenth-century Western circus and dime museums.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Doncic quickly swung the ball to Reaves after Minnesota sent two defenders his way, while Ayton’s defender (Rudy Gobert) went to pressure Reaves on the perimeter, briefly opening up a cutting lane for Ayton.—
Khobi Price,
Oc Register,
25 Oct. 2025
-
In another potentially worrying sign for the president, younger Hispanics and Hispanic men — two groups that swung particularly dramatically toward him in last year’s election — also see him a bit more negatively.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Like his Washington, Bargatze’s Farnsworth regaled a trio of underlings (SNL cast members Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, and James Austin Johnson) with ridiculous yet accurate predictions for the future, in this case of TV.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Appel also regaled the audience with his strategy that resulted in Springsteen getting on the cover of both Time and Newsweek.—
Caryn Rose,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
LaVine and Monk whipped the crowd into a frenzy, combining to make 17 of 32 from the field and 10 of 18 from 3-point range as the Kings bounced back from a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The cold brew is bitter but topped with a fluffy, whipped cold foam that tastes almondy, sweet and spice-filled.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Later, if the user pastes normally, they could be redirected to phishing sites and have sensitive log-in information stolen, including MFA (multifactor authentication) codes.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In March 2023, Phillip signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, then he was redirected to the Denver Broncos before the season started.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diverted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diverted. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share