diverting
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of diverting
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."
Vocabulary lists containing diverting
A Wrinkle in Time
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
12 More Interesting Ways to Say "interesting"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
I am pleased to report that we paid off our mortgage, continue to work and have pivoted to diverting some required minimum distributions and earnings to help pay our grandchild’s tuition.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
Obiang's government has also been accused of corruption and diverting the country's oil revenues for the benefit of the elite, which it denies.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
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
A solution was found: Lebanon would first have to make a splashy gesture toward peace, diverting attention from Iran’s demand.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
And if it did, well, then at least I’d be diverting iron monsters from the Thicket.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
