1
as in amuses
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 turns
to change the course or direction of (something)
the bike race was diverted around the construction zone
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in distracts
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
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Recent Examples of diverts
These tissues regenerate constantly, so when protein is scarce, your body diverts amino acids away from these aesthetic functions toward more critical ones, like maintaining organ health and immunity.
—
Lauryn Higgins, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
O’Neill directs the steamroller of tragedy right at the characters and then — atypically, delightfully — diverts it.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
The faintest of touches from Gibbs-White diverts it in.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Pureval said the move won't affect a city program that diverts nonviolent calls to mental health teams.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
The 42-mile long canal runs from Boise through Nampa and diverts 240 million gallons a day, according to the district.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
The system captures and diverts roughly 95% of the sewage overflows in the city, or about five billion gallons a year.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Transforming these bottles into supercapacitor components not only diverts waste from landfills but also provides sustainable, high-performance energy storage options.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
This invites empathy, diverts the conversation toward healing rather than fault-finding and helps both partners challenge the automatic assumption that blame is the only way to respond.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Lauryn Higgins, Time, 18 Dec. 2025
O’Neill directs the steamroller of tragedy right at the characters and then — atypically, delightfully — diverts it.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2025
The faintest of touches from Gibbs-White diverts it in.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
Pureval said the move won't affect a city program that diverts nonviolent calls to mental health teams.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
The 42-mile long canal runs from Boise through Nampa and diverts 240 million gallons a day, according to the district.
—Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2025
The system captures and diverts roughly 95% of the sewage overflows in the city, or about five billion gallons a year.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Transforming these bottles into supercapacitor components not only diverts waste from landfills but also provides sustainable, high-performance energy storage options.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
This invites empathy, diverts the conversation toward healing rather than fault-finding and helps both partners challenge the automatic assumption that blame is the only way to respond.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diverts
Verb
-
Zoë has been Artemis' right-hand warrior for more than 2,000 years, giving her a more serious nature that amuses modern demigods.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Nov. 2025
-
And in the fall, when the air turns crisp and the fields turn orange, this unassuming little town reminds visitors that sometimes, the most unique places grow from the simplest seeds (pun intended).—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, excited headlines about a blossoming romance between them certainly creates a narrative that distracts from all the negative news each has grappled with recently.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The constantly shifting allegiances are meant to form a twisty yarn in the aggregate, though the effect is largely just confusing — especially when Helen gets a subplot investigating her own past that distracts from her role as the chilly, withholding boss.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On nights when Nova’s feeling sleepy, Poppy happily entertains herself with her mountain of toys — or by spinning in happy circles to reclaim that elusive tail.—
Evan Moore
November 3,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The media entertains these questions, in an effort to intellectualize the ideologies underpinning the cult’s bloodlust.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Young feels within range for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who always swings for the fences.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But the tone swings between sour and sweet, grounded and silly, and the jokes run more broadly wacky than precise or original.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With most Americans unhappy with the state of the economy, the president gets combative and deflects blame.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Dec. 2025
-
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects most of the sun’s particles, but some enter at the poles, where interactions with our atmosphere create the aurora borealis.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The conversation between Kaleel and the man then veers to tidbits about the rap artist, Eminem.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Mainstream media and online discussion around OnlyFans often veers into a moral panic, lamenting that the extremity of some creators’ work, in an age when outrage and engagement lead directly to revenue, may have a corrupting influence on audiences.—
Katie Whyatt,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
All are among about 23 transformative projects that have benefited from Kansas’ STAR bond program, which redirects sales tax revenue in specific districts to help cover the costs of development that will draw visitors to the state.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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The optical reflector selectively redirects invisible near-infrared light toward the solar cells while allowing most visible light to pass through.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diverts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diverts. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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