deflect

verb

de·​flect di-ˈflekt How to pronounce deflect (audio)
dē-
deflected; deflecting; deflects

transitive verb

: to turn (something) aside especially from a straight course or fixed direction
armor that deflects bullets
deflecting attention from the troubled economy
deflect a question

intransitive verb

: to turn aside : deviate
the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad
deflectable adjective
deflective adjective
deflector noun

Examples of deflect in a Sentence

armor that can deflect bullets The goalie deflected the ball with his hands. The ball deflected off the goalie's shoulder. They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy. The blame was deflected from the chairman.
Recent Examples on the Web Henrique then deflected in a shot from the point by Jackson LaCombe to give the Ducks a 5-3 lead heading into the third. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 That’s deflected in the Vales each character possesses: Duth, Faith, Justice, Power and Truth. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Adams has repeatedly deflected questions about the investigation while stressing that he has not officially been accused of wrongdoing. Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 But Denise didn't back down, claiming Erika wanted to go after Denise to deflect from the controversy surrounding her estranged husband Tom Girardi. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The lawsuit argued that this was an attempt to deflect liability away from Mitchell. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Benioff deflects the majority of my questions to talk about his philanthropy again. Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 Speaking to the Italian newspaper Il Giorno in 2021, Ms. Camber sought to deflect the attention paid to her for her study of chemistry at a time when few Italian women entered the sciences. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 But another crucial piece of information needed to understand how to deflect asteroids that may be on a potential collision course with Earth in the future is the composition of space rocks. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deflect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin deflectere to bend down, turn aside, from de- + flectere to bend

First Known Use

circa 1555, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of deflect was circa 1555

Dictionary Entries Near deflect

Cite this Entry

“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deflect

verb
de·​flect di-ˈflekt How to pronounce deflect (audio)
: to turn or cause to turn aside (as from a course, direction, or position)
a bullet deflected by striking a wall
deflection
-ˈflek-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deflect

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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