distract
Americanverb (used with object)
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to draw away or divert, as the mind or attention.
The music distracted him from his work.
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to disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset.
Grief distracted him.
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to provide a pleasant diversion for; amuse; entertain.
I'm bored with bridge, but golf still distracts me.
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to separate or divide by dissension or strife.
adjective
verb
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(often passive) to draw the attention of (a person) away from something
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to divide or confuse the attention of (a person)
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to amuse or entertain
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to trouble greatly
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to make mad
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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distracternoun
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distractibilitynoun
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distractibleadjective
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distractingadjective
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distractiveadjective
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nondistractingadjective
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undistractingadjective
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distractinglyadverb
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distractivelyadverb
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nondistractinglyadverb
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undistractinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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distractsimple
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distractssimple
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have distractedperfect
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has distractedperfect
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am distractingprogressive
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are distractingprogressive
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is distractingprogressive
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have been distractingperfect progressive
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has been distractingperfect progressive
Past
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distractedsimple
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had distractedperfect
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was distractingprogressive
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were distractingprogressive
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had been distractingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of distract
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin distractus “drawn apart,” past participle of distrahere “to draw apart,” from dis- dis- 1 + trahere “to draw”
Explanation
Distract is what you do when you draw someone’s attention — Hey! Look! Over there! Oh. Never mind. What was I saying? That’s right: distract is to draw attention away from what someone is doing. Distract comes from the Latin word for “draw apart.” It can be annoying when someone or something distracts you. A loud car alarm or a talkative friend might distract you when you’re watching your favorite TV show. But being distracted is not always bad. Playing a round of miniature golf might distract you from feeling sad about the death of your parakeet.
Vocabulary lists containing distract
List 3
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"In the Spotlight," Vocabulary from the informational text
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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:
Operation Fortitude saw the Allies deploy a faux “First U.S. Army Group” of inflatable tanks and wooden planes to distract from the D-Day invasion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff -- metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles -- and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Maybe, if he does it right, he could distract his way into some votes.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
Jordan vs Algeria may struggle to distract San Francisco from its current role birthing multi trillion AI stock market flotations.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
“I decide what I allow to distract me. Thank you very much.”
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
Ultimately, the fixation on Hasan Piker distracts from more substantive issues.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
"Looking back and revisiting something that we already know about kind of relieves that anxiety, or it kind of just distracts us from all of the current changes that are happening."
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
“Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
That framing may be clear in Mr. Sheehan’s mind, but it distracts from a straightforward account of how sacrifice functioned for religious and political leaders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
Only thing that distracts me a little bit are the Uno cards Jay pulls out after dinner.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
"He started crying a little bit and said he wishes he hadn't done it and then kept going around and just doing stuff, I think to keep himself busy or distracted or something," Twiggs said.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Today, however, social media may be helping to keep consumers distracted, the TD Cowen analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
During one observation, a centipede preyed on the distracted isopods while they remained caught in the swirling formation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
New employees complete a questionnaire that asks how they work best, including their time zone, peak work hours and what times of day they’re most distracted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
She looked distracted, only half engaged in our conversation.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Vehicles now have too many buttons, switches, levers and touch-screen options, which are highly distracting for drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“Having the two leading U.S. names in dispute risks distracting the sector at the moment Washington says it wants a domestic industry built,” one expert said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The goal is to make the tinnitus less distracting.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 10, 2026
One of the others is the Brick, that little piece of plastic that has exactly one job—to make my phone stop working in distracting ways—and executes it to perfection.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2026
“You guys. You’re the best. Just keep distracting me, okay? But only say positive stuff.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
