as in swinging
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 deflecting
Lee opened the scoring in the first minute of play, deflecting Mathew Schaefer's shot past Soderblom.
—
CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
About 30 seconds later, Hicks rose up again, this time deflecting a shot of a one-on-one with UMD’s Aaron Pionk.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Though the tiny asteroid posed no threat to Earth, NASA had set out to test a method of deflecting and changing the path of threatening objects hurtling toward Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Fuerst beat his man and flicked the puck on net, deflecting off the underside of Moreland’s glove and into the net.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
Five goals down at half-time, the Azerbaijani champions were hapless and guileless, incapable of delaying or deflecting Gordon’s acceleration and utterly without attacking merit until the game was yanked far beyond them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
According to The Planetary Society, scientists focus on deflecting an asteroid rather than destroying it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
The ladies then try to blame Amanda for deflecting her opinion about Dorit onto Kyle and getting Kyle and Dorit arguing.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
That appeared to frustrate committee members, who accused the sheriff of deflecting blame.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
About 30 seconds later, Hicks rose up again, this time deflecting a shot of a one-on-one with UMD’s Aaron Pionk.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Though the tiny asteroid posed no threat to Earth, NASA had set out to test a method of deflecting and changing the path of threatening objects hurtling toward Earth.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
Fuerst beat his man and flicked the puck on net, deflecting off the underside of Moreland’s glove and into the net.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
Five goals down at half-time, the Azerbaijani champions were hapless and guileless, incapable of delaying or deflecting Gordon’s acceleration and utterly without attacking merit until the game was yanked far beyond them.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
According to The Planetary Society, scientists focus on deflecting an asteroid rather than destroying it.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026
The ladies then try to blame Amanda for deflecting her opinion about Dorit onto Kyle and getting Kyle and Dorit arguing.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
That appeared to frustrate committee members, who accused the sheriff of deflecting blame.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflecting
Verb
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The key now is to foster stronger intracontinental dialogue—turning these events from mere entry points into active hubs of exchange among artists, institutions, and audiences.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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The bus stopped abruptly after a Baltimore Police Department vehicle cut off the bus while turning into a private parking lot on Edison Highway.—
Chevall Pryce,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon’s and Earth’s gravity, making a figure 8 after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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Like Apollo 13, Artemis II will take advantage of the moon and Earth’s gravity, making a figure eight after whipping around the moon to head home in what’s known as a free-return trajectory requiring little if any fuel.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nordseth also argued the city is illegally diverting money collected through a 2% increase in hotel occupancy taxes, approved by voters in 2022.—
Everton Bailey Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Gut Digestion slows at altitude due to a lack of oxygen in the intestines and the body diverting blood to more critical organs and the muscles that are being used to climb.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, intends to deploy its cutting-edge Blue Ring spacecraft to use multiple techniques intercept, deflect or even crash into an asteroid with the goal of redirecting its trajectory away from Earth.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
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Zelenskyy’s trip comes as the Pentagon was weighing redirecting the equipment and weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East, according to The Washington Post, as the conflict with Iran strains existing American munitions stockpiles.—
Anniek Bao,Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After a decade in which private credit lenders grew rapidly and took over a large share of financing for leveraged buyouts, signs of strain in that sector, along with easing bank rules, may now be shifting the balance.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
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Trump has also offered shifting war aims and timelines.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflecting. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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