deviate

American  

[dee-vee-eyt, dee-vee-it] / ˈdi viˌeɪt, ˈdi vi ɪt /

verb (used without object)

deviated, deviating

1. to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.

   Synonyms:

   stray, wander, veer

2. to depart or swerve, as from a procedure, course of action, or acceptable norm.

3. to digress, as from a line of thought or reasoning.

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verb (used with object)

deviated, deviating

1. to cause to swerve; turn aside.

adjective

1. characterized by deviation or departure from an accepted norm or standard, as of behavior.

noun

1. a person or thing that departs from the accepted norm or standard.

2. a person whose sexual behavior departs from the norm in a way that is considered socially or morally unacceptable.

3. Statistics. a variable equal to the difference between a variate and some fixed value, often the mean.

deviate British  

verb

1. (usually intr) to differ or diverge or cause to differ or diverge, as in belief or thought

2. (usually intr) to turn aside or cause to turn aside; diverge or cause to diverge

3. (intr) psychol to depart from an accepted standard or convention

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noun

1. another word for deviant

Related Words

Deviate, digress, diverge, swerve imply turning or going aside from a path. To deviate is to turn or wander, often by slight degrees, from what is considered the most direct or desirable approach to a given physical, intellectual, or moral end: Fear caused him to deviate from the truth. To digress is primarily to wander from the main theme or topic in writing or speaking: Some authors digress to relate entertaining episodes. Two paths diverge when they proceed from a common point in such directions that the distance between them increases: The sides of an angle diverge from a common point. Their interests gradually diverged. To swerve is to make a sudden or sharp turn from a line or course: The car swerved to avoid striking a pedestrian.

Other Word Forms

• deviability noun
• deviable adjective
• deviator noun
• deviatory adjective
• nondeviating adjective
• undeviable adjective
• undeviated adjective
• undeviating adjective
• undeviatingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of deviate

First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin dēviātus “turned from the road,” past participle of dēviāre “to stray, turn from the road,” from Latin dē- de- + vi(a) “road, way” + āre, infinitive verb suffix

Example Sentences

More than 93% marriages in India are "arranged" by families within their own caste and faith and couples who deviate from the tradition are routinely forced to seek protection from police or courts.

From BBC

"But if you measure two tones that don't match up with the same mass and spin combination, you can start to probe how much you've deviated away from general relativity's predictions."

From Science Daily

Infrared images have revealed that an artist who painted Anne Boleyn deviated from an approved design for portraits of the Tudor queen.

From BBC

While the company has been viewed as in pole position to benefit from the developments in Venezuela, Wirth said he would not deviate from weighing risks and opportunity in determining how much to invest.

From Barron's

Customs and Border Protection agents may have deviated from protocol before the fatal shooting.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• depart
• differ
• diverge
• vary
• veer