as in swung
to change the course or direction of (something)
the wind deflected the Frisbee just as I was about to lunge for it
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Recent Examples of deflected
Kempe finally got the Kings going when Artemi Panarin's 51st assist deflected in off his skate, but Stamkos scored just over two minutes later.
—
ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
With the Kings leading 1-0, Thomas went to the front of the net and Philip Broberg’s shot deflected off Thomas’ skate and past Forsberg to tie it.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Slowly, the team chipped away at the deficit, but the game-winning play didn’t come until Duke’s Cayden Boozer had a pass deflected by Mullins, who then sank the desperate logo-3.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
On Monday, Roseman deflected when asked about Brown and any potential trade.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Siegenthaler faked a shot from the high slot and slid a pass to Jack Hughes in the right circle, where his one timer deflected off Bratt.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Top officials always deflected questions about whether regime change was a goal, focusing instead on the military objectives that the administration outlined.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Iran’s strategy of encirclement of Israel had collapsed, and its ballistic-missile counterpunch was largely deflected by Israeli and Western defenses.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
With the Kings leading 1-0, Thomas went to the front of the net and Philip Broberg’s shot deflected off Thomas’ skate and past Forsberg to tie it.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Slowly, the team chipped away at the deficit, but the game-winning play didn’t come until Duke’s Cayden Boozer had a pass deflected by Mullins, who then sank the desperate logo-3.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Demary made a shot from well behind the 3-point line.
—Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
On Monday, Roseman deflected when asked about Brown and any potential trade.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Siegenthaler faked a shot from the high slot and slid a pass to Jack Hughes in the right circle, where his one timer deflected off Bratt.
—CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Top officials always deflected questions about whether regime change was a goal, focusing instead on the military objectives that the administration outlined.
—Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Iran’s strategy of encirclement of Israel had collapsed, and its ballistic-missile counterpunch was largely deflected by Israeli and Western defenses.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflected
Verb
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My dad glanced behind us once to see if we were being followed, winked at me in the rearview mirror, and then swung our car toward Interstate 80, headed west.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Then the pendulum swung and strength training came into vogue in the ’90s and 2000s as more research emerged suggesting that lifting could help improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis, Petrzela says.—
Caitlin Carlson,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Estrada Juarez turned the camera to show the sunset.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Eastlake defense turned three double plays behind him, including a nifty 6-4-3, started by shortstop Zowen Watson, to end the game.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For 10 minutes, Boyd took in the scene as the flags whipped above the center-field scoreboard, Cubs infielders took grounders and stadium workers finished final preparations before 39,712 fans streamed into the ballpark.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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This pizza has soppressata, whipped ricotta and drizzles of hot honey.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, when funds meant to ease those pressures are diverted elsewhere, the impact is immediate.—
Jason Gallion,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
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Data centers have sparked backlash from communities across the state that are worried about higher utility bills, strained power grids and water being diverted away from families to cool servers at massive data centers.—
Brendan Steinhauser,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Money intended to help offset energy costs and support long-term investments was redirected to plug budget holes.—
Jason Gallion,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
-
That money can be redirected, sometimes automatically, to cover other unpaid obligations, including tax debt, and because this process often happens behind the scenes, some taxpayers may not realize what's coming until their refund is reduced or gone entirely.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflected. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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