diverting

American  

[dih-vur-ting, dahy-] / dɪˈvɜr tɪŋ, daɪ- /

adjective

1. serving to divert; entertaining; amusing.

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Other Word Forms

• divertingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of diverting

First recorded in 1645–55; divert + -ing ²

Explanation

Something that's diverting is a pleasant distraction. A movie on a long bus ride — even a bad movie — is diverting. The adjective diverting describes anything that grabs your attention, especially if it's entertaining and distracts from something less interesting. Spending time with a friend can be diverting when you're waiting to hear important news or get the results of a big test, and a good, diverting book is the perfect thing to take on a boring train commute. Diverting stems from the verb divert, or "distract," from its Latin root, divertere, "to turn in different directions."

Example Sentences

Adding payments directly on X also opens the company up to native social commerce that bypasses traditional e-commerce checkout flows, potentially diverting volume from PayPal’s “crown jewel,” its branded-checkout button, according to Dolev.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Liaw pleaded not guilty to charges of diverting U.S.-assembled servers to China, while the company stated it has a robust compliance program.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

As it currently stands, road use fees fall short of fully funding roadway systems in most states already, and governments are currently diverting funds from other sources.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

“Dog Day Afternoon” makes for a largely diverting evening, but like many if not most stage versions of beloved films it never entirely succeeds at laying to rest the ghosts of its cinematic past.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

He managed to convince German commanders he was on their side, then fed them damaging misinformation, diverting their attention from upcoming Soviet attacks.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• entertaining