deflected; deflecting; deflects
: 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
: to turn aside : deviate
the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad
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
After losing a one-goal lead late in the third period, Marco Rossi deflected a feed from Mats Zuccarello past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger on a 4-on-3 man advantage in overtime to beat the Stars 3-2 at Xcel Energy Center.
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John Shipley, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
Morel deflects the attention and prefers to be part of a larger collective.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Although a very different player, Sané was brilliant against Augsburg and was unlucky that his deflected shot ahead of the third goal was counted as an own goal.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
His shot deflected past Shesterkin off the stick of Gabe Perreault, who was making his NHL debut.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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John Shipley, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
Morel deflects the attention and prefers to be part of a larger collective.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
Although a very different player, Sané was brilliant against Augsburg and was unlucky that his deflected shot ahead of the third goal was counted as an own goal.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
His shot deflected past Shesterkin off the stick of Gabe Perreault, who was making his NHL debut.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deflect
verb
de·flect
di-ˈflekt 
: to turn or cause to turn aside (as from a course, direction, or position)
a bullet deflected by striking a wall
deflection
noun
-ˈflek-shən
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