distract
[ dih-strakt ]
/ dɪˈstrækt /
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.
RELATED CONTENT
English Words In Foreign Places (A Very Silly Quiz)Welcome to this very silly quiz. Can you figure out what these English look-a-likes mean in their native language? Things will look a little foreign, but our obvious distractors will help you reach the right destination. Bon voyage! If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser.
RELATED WORDS
disturb, perplex, bewilder, amuse, divert, mislead, entertain, detract, fluster, trouble, puzzle, confound, discompose, befuddle, abstract, sidetrack, disconcert, madden, agitate, addle
Nearby words
- distortedly,
- distortion,
- distortion aberration,
- distoversion,
- distr.,
- distracted,
- distracted driving,
- distractibility,
- distracting,
- distraction
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for distract
distract
/ (dɪˈstrækt) /
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
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
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper