divert
Americanverb
-
to turn (a person or thing) aside from a course; deflect
-
(tr) to entertain; amuse
-
(tr) to distract the attention of
Related Words
See amuse.
Other Word Forms
- divertedly adverb
- diverter noun
- divertible adjective
- diverting adjective
- divertingly adverb
- divertive adjective
- predivert verb (used with object)
- redivert verb (used with object)
- undiverted adjective
- undivertible adjective
Etymology
Origin of divert
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin dīvertere, from dī- di- 2 + vertere “to turn”
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.
Fifty-seven people have already been convicted in the scheme to divert $300 million in public grants intended to distribute free meals to children -- but the meals never existed, prosecutors said.
From Barron's
Azolla’s Duffuor added that cash may be diverted to technologies that respond to the effects of climate change, such as wildfire recovery or crop resilience.
Dating back to the late 18th century, “hoax” seems to derive from what a conjurer or juggler might say, a truncation of “hocus pocus,” utilized to divert the attention of an audience.
From Salon
Aberdeen Airport said fire crews attended as a standard precaution, with two flights diverted before normal operations resumed.
From BBC
Probes in the United States revealed that hundreds of millions of dollars of funding had been diverted from 1MDB into properties in Los Angeles, New York and London.
From Barron's
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.
