deflect.
To make (something) deviate from its original path or position.
Meaning & usage
To make (something) deviate from its original path or position.
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.
To deviate from an original path or position.
To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.).
The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment.
To divert (attention, etc.).
To redirect culpability to avoid it.
Where this word comes from
From Latin deflecto, from de- (“away”) + flecto (“to bend”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.