deflect
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin deflecto, from de- (“away”) + flecto (“to bend”).
Pronunciation
editVerb
editdeflect (third-person singular simple present deflects, present participle deflecting, simple past and past participle deflected)
- (transitive) To make (something) deviate from its original path or position.
- (transitive, ball games) To touch the ball, often unwittingly, after a shot or a sharp pass, thereby making it unpredictable for the other players.
- The defender deflected the cross into his own net.
- (intransitive) To deviate from an original path or position.
- (transitive, figuratively) To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.).
- Synonym: elude
- The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment.
- (transitive, figuratively) To divert (attention, etc.).
- 1979 December 29, Rudy Kikel, “Young Men”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 23, page 16:
- Certainly there was much in the relationship itself that, with so much energy deflected into logistic maneuvering was never […] "worked out."
- 2013 January 3, Luke Harding, Uki Goni, “Argentina urges UK to hand back Falklands and 'end colonialism”, in The Guardian[1]:
- Critics suggest that Fernández, an unashamed populist and nationalist, is seeking to deflect attention from social disharmony at home.
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editto make deviate
|
to make a ball unpredictable
to deviate
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to avoid addressing questions, criticism etc.
|
to divert attention, etc.
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Anagrams
editCategories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɛkt
- Rhymes:English/ɛkt/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Ball games
- English terms with usage examples
- English intransitive verbs
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