Deflect

verb

verb ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make (something) deviate from its original path or position. transitive
  2. 2
    impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball) wordnet
  3. 3
    To touch the ball, often unwittingly, after a shot or a sharp pass, thereby making it unpredictable for the other players. transitive

    "The defender deflected the cross into his own net."

  4. 4
    draw someone's attention away from something wordnet
  5. 5
    To deviate from an original path or position. intransitive
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    turn aside and away from an initial or intended course wordnet
  2. 7
    To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.). figuratively, transitive

    "The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment."

  3. 8
    turn from a straight course, fixed direction, or line of interest wordnet
  4. 9
    To divert (attention, etc.). figuratively, transitive

    "Certainly there was much in the relationship itself that, with so much energy deflected into logistic maneuvering was never […] "worked out.""

  5. 10
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off wordnet
  6. 11
    To redirect culpability to avoid it.

Synonyms

All synonyms
debardistractparryangleangle offanticipate

Example

More examples

"A barrier, designed to deflect noise away from nearby houses, was erected along the edge of the freeway."

Etymology

From Latin deflecto, from de- (“away”) + flecto (“to bend”).

More for "deflect"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.