Link Centre Dictionary

distract

dist·ract

UK/dɪˈstɹækt/ US/dɪˈstrækt/ fairly common

verb

1.

draw someone''s attention away from something

  • “The thief distracted the bystanders”
  • “He deflected his competitors”
Synonyms
2.

disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed

  • “She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill”
Synonyms

Origin

Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).

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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.