Examples of diffract in a Sentence
Light is diffracted when it passes through a prism.
Recent Examples on the Web
This structure can diffract light and degrade image quality.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
Instead, the Sun’s light will diffract around the edge of the coronagraphic disk, as light’s dual (including wave-like) nature ensures that instead of just a dark shadow, the Sun’s light will produce a series of rings, a result of interference and diffraction.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
The comet passed between the sun and Earth in late September and October, so light diffracted (bent around) by dust grains in the tail, which were concentrated in the direction of Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
And crystals were defined as matter that diffracts with these Bragg peaks, with these sharp, bright spots.
—Quanta Magazine, 3 July 2024
This was bolstered by Max Von Laue's Nobel Prize-winning discovery that crystals could diffract x-rays.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 Dec. 2023
This, in turn, changes the way the material diffracts the stroboscopic bright-field electron stream, revealing the phonon’s progress.
—Douglas McCormick, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Apr. 2016
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Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026
Instead, the Sun’s light will diffract around the edge of the coronagraphic disk, as light’s dual (including wave-like) nature ensures that instead of just a dark shadow, the Sun’s light will produce a series of rings, a result of interference and diffraction.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
The comet passed between the sun and Earth in late September and October, so light diffracted (bent around) by dust grains in the tail, which were concentrated in the direction of Earth.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
And crystals were defined as matter that diffracts with these Bragg peaks, with these sharp, bright spots.
—Quanta Magazine, 3 July 2024
This was bolstered by Max Von Laue's Nobel Prize-winning discovery that crystals could diffract x-rays.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 26 Dec. 2023
This, in turn, changes the way the material diffracts the stroboscopic bright-field electron stream, revealing the phonon’s progress.
—Douglas McCormick, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Apr. 2016
Cite this Entry
“Diffract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diffract. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
diffract
verb
dif·fract
dif-ˈrakt 
: to cause to go through diffraction
Medical Definition
diffract
transitive verb
dif·fract
dif-ˈrakt
: to cause to undergo diffraction
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