distract
- to draw away or divert, as the mind or attention: The music distracted him from his work.
- to disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset: Grief distracted him.
- to provide a pleasant diversion for; amuse; entertain: I'm bored with bridge, but golf still distracts me.
- to separate or divide by dissension or strife.
- Obsolete. distracted.
Origin of distract
Synonyms for distract
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for distract
disturb, perplex, bewilder, amuse, divert, mislead, entertain, detract, fluster, trouble, puzzle, confound, discompose, befuddle, abstract, sidetrack, disconcert, madden, agitate, addleExamples from the Web for distract
Contemporary Examples of distract
However we strain to distract ourselves, our consciousness of death heightens our awareness of evil.
“I reached out, grabbing him, trying to get his attention, trying to distract him,” Valentino told The Post.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004Marlow Stern
November 24, 2014
They still just distract us from generally more substantive topics in need of our attention.
The discussion of race in the league just serves to distract from why players misbehave.
He uses it to dismiss hecklers and distract from bad news in the Garden State.
Historical Examples of distract
He hoped to distract her from such grief over her predicament.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Recently so many things had arisen to distract her attention.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
And then Steve Yerden is enough to distract a leather-man, any way.
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 2.Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
I do not want to distract his mind from his lessons, and I wish to be quite sure first.
Great Uncle Hoot-TootMrs. Molesworth
With an effort, recovering, she sought to distract the girl.
NobodyLouis Joseph Vance
distract
- (often passive) to draw the attention of (a person) away from something
- to divide or confuse the attention of (a person)
- to amuse or entertain
- to trouble greatly
- to make mad
Word Origin for distract
Word Origin and History for distract
mid-14c., "to draw asunder or apart, to turn aside" (literal and figurative), from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).
Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act" is from 1580s. Related: Distracted; distracting; distractedly; distractedness.