26984 words

deflect

5 definitions • 13 examples
1
to change direction after hitting something, or to cause something to do this :

Examples:

deflect off The ball deflected off my shoulder, straight into the goal.
deflect a shot The crowd cheered as the goalkeeper deflected the shot.
deflect something away from something If a huge meteor was heading towards us, our best hope could be to deflect it away from the Earth using a nuclear explosion.
2
to cause someone to change from or stop what they were intending to do:

Examples:

deflect someone from something His initial defeats did not deflect him from his ambitions.
She listens to him, but doesn't allow herself to be deflected from her purpose.
We will continue with our plans and not be deflected by the attacks.
3
to avoid something such as criticism, blame, or a question being directed at you:

Examples:

deflect criticism The president deflected criticism of his economic record by focusing on crime.
deflect blame He successfully deflected blame for his mismanagement of the crisis.
deflect a question I just tried to deflect questions the best way I could.
4
to attack or blame another person rather than accepting criticism or blame for your own actions:

Examples:

When someone deflects, they are trying to feel less guilty, avoid negative consequences, and put the blame on others.
The guilty person deflects their guilt onto the person who is accusing them or onto another person.
5
to cause something to change direction, or to suddenly go in a different direction:

Examples:

The ionosphere deflects radio waves.
fig. The mayor deflected (= did not answer directly) questions about his political plans.

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