divert
Americanverb (used with object)
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diverts,
present (3rd person singular)
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diverted,
past participle, past
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diverting
present participle
verb (used without object)
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diverts,
present (3rd person singular)
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diverted,
past participle, past
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diverting
present participle
verb
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to turn (a person or thing) aside from a course; deflect
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(tr) to entertain; amuse
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(tr) to distract the attention of
Synonym Usage
See amuse.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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diverternoun
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predivertverb (used with object)
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redivertverb (used with object)
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divertibleadjective
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divertingadjective
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divertiveadjective
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undivertedadjective
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undivertibleadjective
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divertedlyadverb
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divertinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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divertsimple
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divertssimple
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have divertedperfect
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has divertedperfect
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am divertingprogressive
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are divertingprogressive
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is divertingprogressive
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have been divertingperfect progressive
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has been divertingperfect progressive
Past
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divertedsimple
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had divertedperfect
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was divertingprogressive
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were divertingprogressive
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had been divertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of divert
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dīvertere, from dī- di- 2 + vertere “to turn”
Explanation
To divert means to shift or turn from one thing to another. A magician might attempt to divert your attention as he shoves the rabbit into the hat. The police will divert traffic if there has been an accident that blocks the road, and it's a good idea to divert some of your income into a savings account so you don't spend it all. Are you throwing a surprise party for a friend at his house? Have a neighbor divert him for a little while if he comes home early so that you can finish getting ready. While these uses concern physically guiding something to a different location, divert can also be used to mean "distract" or "entertain." If your friend can't stop worrying about her grades, you might want to divert her with the latest school gossip.
Vocabulary lists containing divert
The Outsiders
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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The Pearl
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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:
They do divert funds from the low-income and disabled Americans enrolled in the program.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
"I'll try and find where their interests are and try and divert them towards professional training, qualifications," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Local governments tend to divert the cash into white-elephant public works.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It’s that “churn” that beckons Carney to break his promise to himself and once again divert from his legit furniture store business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
They are used with admirable skill to enliven the story and make it seem real, never to hold it up or divert the reader’s attention from the main issue.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Yet even the best projections can crumble if, say, a parent loses a high-paying job or diverts money from their own retirement account to fund a 529 plan.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Led by Susan Angelo, Jan Wikstrom and Ellen Geer, this ensemble, under the direction of Willow Geer, diverts and distracts from the mustier aspects of Coward’s style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The petitioner suggests repurposing a building at nearby Chapelfield Gardens as a dovecote and source of food, in the hope it diverts pigeons away from the market.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
And when you’re with other people, pocket the phone: Even its mere presence diverts attention and detracts from enjoyment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
Instinctively, my hands fold like I’m praying, and then I extend my arms forward, cutting through the splendor as it diverts in either direction, barely avoiding me on either side.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Lothian Buses posted that some services were unable to serve the village and its routes had been diverted due to the road closure.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
What happens here, mechanically speaking, is that liquidity is sucked out of the financial system and diverted to the real economy, in Howell’s words.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Kazakhstan's cloud-seeding trials raised alarm in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan where fears were flagged of "cloud theft" -- alleging that rain clouds could be diverted to Kazakhstan, aggravating its own drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a request for a Los Angeles influencer charged with stealing luxury items from wealthy older men she met on dating apps to be diverted into mental health treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
I diverted my stare to the wall and made no pretense that I was paying attention to her.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
This could include cutting taxes on investors’ gains on U.K. stocks, or diverting more of the U.K.’s mammoth personal savings toward domestic stocks, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Harry Potter fans succeeded in diverting a multimillion-pound power link between the UK and Ireland after they complained it would disturb a "memorial" to Dobby the House Elf.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
He is accused of diverting $2 million in public funds to finance his first presidential campaign.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Doing so would relieve the court of diverting its other resources to these ethics matters or, worse, undervaluing them altogether.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
That was surprising at her age, but Theon found it diverting.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
