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deflect

[ dih-flekt ]
/ dɪˈflɛkt /
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verb (used with or without object)

to bend or turn aside; turn from a true course or straight line; swerve.

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RELATED WORDS

swerve, avert, veer, ricochet, hook, bend, slip, pivot, divert, whip, wheel, whirl, sheer, fend, shy, curve, diverge, slew, twist, disperse

Nearby words

  1. deflate,
  2. deflation,
  3. deflationary,
  4. deflationary gap,
  5. deflationary spiral,
  6. deflected,
  7. deflecting force,
  8. deflection,
  9. deflection yoke,
  10. deflective

Origin of deflect

1545–55; < Latin dēflectere to bend down, turn aside, equivalent to dē- de- + flectere to bend, turn
Related formsde·flect·a·ble, adjectivede·flec·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for deflect

British Dictionary definitions for deflect

deflect

/ (dɪˈflɛkt) /

verb

to turn or cause to turn aside from a course; swerve
Derived Formsdeflector, noun

Word Origin for deflect

C17: from Latin dēflectere, from flectere to bend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for deflect

deflect

v.

1550s, from Latin deflectere "to bend (something) aside or downward," from de- "away" (see de-) + flectere "to bend" (see flexible). Originally transitive, the intransitive sense is first recorded 1640s. Related: Deflected; deflecting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper