deflect
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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deflects,
present (3rd person singular)
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deflected,
past participle, past
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deflecting
present participle
verb
Usage
What does deflect mean? To deflect something is to redirect it—to cause it to move in a direction that’s different from the course it had been on, as in The goalie was able to deflect the ball away from the goal. Deflect can also be used in a passive way meaning for something to have its course changed, as in The ball deflected after hitting the goalie’s outstretched hand. Deflect can also be used in a figurative way meaning to do something to avoid questioning or scrutiny, as in When asked about the scandal, the senator deflected by giving a vague answer and changing the subject. The act or process of deflecting is deflection, which can be used for both the literal and figurative senses of deflect (and more technical uses). Example: The meteor is headed straight for Earth—our only chance is to deflect it using the space laser!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deflectsimple
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deflectssimple
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have deflectedperfect
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has deflectedperfect
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am deflectingprogressive
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are deflectingprogressive
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is deflectingprogressive
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have been deflectingperfect progressive
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has been deflectingperfect progressive
Past
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deflectedsimple
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had deflectedperfect
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was deflectingprogressive
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were deflectingprogressive
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had been deflectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deflect
1545–55; < Latin dēflectere to bend down, turn aside, equivalent to dē- de- + flectere to bend, turn
Explanation
The verb deflect describes blocking something or changing its course. Hockey goalies deflect the flying puck with their sticks or blockers, making it travel in a different direction, preferably to a teammate's stick. In a cartoon, a mouse might ask an approaching cat, "Hey, what's that up in the sky?" When the cat looks up, the mouse runs away, successful in his attempt to deflect the cat's attention. When you deflect, you throw someone or something off course, often by using a distraction. Another way to deflect something — such as criticism — is to blame someone else. Eventually the truth, like the cat who quickly sees there's nothing unusual up in the sky, catches up with those who deflect.
Vocabulary lists containing deflect
Unit 1: Telling Details
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The Sea of Monsters
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the time, Freyd called her acronym capturing how perpetrators deflect responsibility “very speculative.”
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
In an attempt to deflect attention away from himself, Michael stressed how Sharon had been acting like a "totally different person" of late.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“The data was presented in a way that downplayed the risk to deflect responsibility,” Dixon said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Los Palos Street Operating LLC, a subsidiary of Altus Power, responded to the filing on Thursday, saying it’s Lineage’s attempt to deflect responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
He crouched behind his guards, screaming encouragement at the other Roman demigods as they struggled toward the ship, holding up their shields as if that would deflect the storm raging all around them.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
In the event that he does have a partner, and that partner raises problems with the way he lives, Wallen’s narrator deflects blame.
From Salon ● May 16, 2025
Michaels deflects the question, shifting the spotlight from him to the show: “I’m going to do it as long as I feel I can do it,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2024
Scientists can infer the value of the QGP's electrical conductivity from how much the electromagnetic field deflects charged particles such as electrons, quarks, and protons.
From Science Daily ● May 17, 2024
Earth’s electromagnetic field deflects the majority of these particles, save for those interactions in the polar areas that produce the northern lights.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2024
The difference in tangential velocities deflects or distorts it.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Never one to take his mediocrity on the chin, Waititi deflected the negativity outward, which, as we know, always paints someone in a good light!
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Speaking to Slate in her office the day before, she often deflected criticism of administration policies on key issues—noting that she raised concern with key stakeholders.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Kessler deflected his success, crediting the play of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Most obviously, Carrick, having deflected questions about the defender's outburst in the immediate aftermath of the game, will face more probing on the matter when he speaks to the media before Sunday's trip to Leeds.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Anything that impaired or deflected that central mission was to be avoided at all costs.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
I had only one sartorial concern at the time: deflecting male attention whenever possible.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Tuchel has spent recent months deflecting debate about whether Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa should take England's number 10 role when the stakes are at their highest.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
Lehkonen collected the loose puck and took it the length of the ice before deflecting a centering pass off Kempe’s skate and by Forsberg for a short-handed goal, his second score of the series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
After a long legal saga, TikTok has established a majority American-owned joint venture to operate its US business, deflecting the threat of a ban over its Chinese ownership.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Boris, according to Blake, was the "feather in his cap," earning him accolades inside the British spy agency and deflecting any remote suspicion that Blake might be working for the enemy.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
