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
Kirill deflected the accusations and drove home his central demand: Ukraine must not be allowed to separate its Church from Moscow’s.
—
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
There then followed a clip of Blinken trying and failing to deflect a question over the land seizure.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deflect 
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
There then followed a clip of Blinken trying and failing to deflect a question over the land seizure.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deflect
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.
Dictionary Entries Near deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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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