Link Centre Dictionary

deflect

def·lect

UK/dɪˈflɛkt/ US/dɪˈflɛkt/ uncommon

verb

1.

prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

  • “Let”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
2.
3.

turn aside

Synonyms
4.

draw someone''s attention away from something

  • “The thief distracted the bystanders”
  • “He deflected his competitors”
Synonyms
5.

impede the movement of (an opponent or a ball)

  • “block an attack”
Synonyms

Origin

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

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.