deflect
English
Etymology
From Latin deflecto, from de- (“away”) + flecto (“to bend”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /dɪˈflɛkt/
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛkt
Verb
deflect (third-person singular simple present deflects, present participle deflecting, simple past and past participle deflected)
- (transitive) To make (something) deviate from its original path.
- (transitive, ball games) To touch the ball, often unwittingly, after a shot or a sharp pass, thereby making it unpredictable for the other players.
- The defender deflected the cross into his own net.
- (intransitive) To deviate from its original path.
- (transitive, figuratively) To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.).
- Synonym: elude
- The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment.
- (transitive, figuratively) To divert (attention, etc.).
- 3 January 2013, Luke Harding and Uki Goni, “Argentina urges UK to hand back Falklands and 'end colonialism”, in The Guardian:
- Critics suggest that Fernández, an unashamed populist and nationalist, is seeking to deflect attention from social disharmony at home.
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Derived terms
- deflector
Related terms
- deflection
Translations
to make deviate
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to make a ball unpredictable
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to deviate
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to avoid addressing questions, criticism etc.
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to divert attention, etc.
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Anagrams
- clefted