distract

[dih-strakt]

See more synonyms for distract on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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.

adjective

Obsolete. distracted.

Origin of distract

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin distractus (past participle of distrahere to draw apart), equivalent to dis- dis-¹ + trac- (variant stem of trahere to draw) + -tus past participle suffix

Related formsdis·tract·i·ble, adjectivedis·tract·ing·ly, adverbnon·dis·tract·ing, adjectivenon·dis·tract·ing·ly, adverbun·dis·tract·ing, adjectiveun·dis·tract·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for distract

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2. bewilder, agitate, pain, torment, distress.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for distract

disturb, perplex, bewilder, amuse, divert, mislead, entertain, detract, fluster, trouble, puzzle, confound, discompose, befuddle, abstract, sidetrack, disconcert, madden, agitate, addle

Examples from the Web for distract

Contemporary Examples of distract

However we strain to distract ourselves, our consciousness of death heightens our awareness of evil.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours
James Poulos
December 5, 2014
“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 1965-2004
Marlow Stern
November 24, 2014
They still just distract us from generally more substantive topics in need of our attention.
#FixTheInternet: The Hashtag That Beat Back Kim Kardashian’s Butt
Emily Shire
November 14, 2014
The discussion of race in the league just serves to distract from why players misbehave.
Ex-NFL Linebacker: We Talk Around Race, Not About It
Carl Banks
October 23, 2014
He uses it to dismiss hecklers and distract from bad news in the Garden State.
Chris Christie Tries to Dance His Way Back Into Your Heart
Olivia Nuzzi
June 13, 2014

Historical Examples of distract

He hoped to distract her from such grief over her predicament.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Recently so many things had arisen to distract her attention.
Her Father's Daughter
Gene 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-Toot
Mrs. Molesworth
With an effort, recovering, she sought to distract the girl.
Nobody
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for distract

distract

verb (tr)

(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

Derived Formsdistracter, noundistractible, adjectivedistractibility, noundistracting, adjectivedistractingly, adverbdistractive, adjectivedistractively, adverb

Word Origin for distract

C14: from Latin distractus perplexed, from distrahere to pull in different directions, from dis- 1 + trahere to drag

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 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.