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
Niederreiter scored his first goal of the series, too, deflecting Dylan Samberg’s point shot, and then Appleton and Niederreiter combined to get Adam Lowry an empty net goal to make it 5-2 with 3:13 left in the game.
—
Murat Ates, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The president, however, deflected blame from the weak figures reflected in the first economic report card of his second term.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
One of his passes was deflected by redshirt junior defensive tackle Aaron Folivi and intercepted by sophomore outside linebacker Keyshawn Flowers in the second frame.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2025
Kempe started the rally late in the first period, deflecting a left-handed shot off Pickard from the center of the right circle with the teams skating four on four.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Murat Ates, New York Times, 1 May 2025
The president, however, deflected blame from the weak figures reflected in the first economic report card of his second term.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
One of his passes was deflected by redshirt junior defensive tackle Aaron Folivi and intercepted by sophomore outside linebacker Keyshawn Flowers in the second frame.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2025
Kempe started the rally late in the first period, deflecting a left-handed shot off Pickard from the center of the right circle with the teams skating four on four.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 26 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 5 May. 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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