distract
Americanverb (used with object)
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to draw away or divert, as the mind or attention.
The music distracted him from his work.
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to disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset.
Grief distracted him.
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to provide a pleasant diversion for; amuse; entertain.
I'm bored with bridge, but golf still distracts me.
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to separate or divide by dissension or strife.
adjective
verb
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(often passive) to draw the attention of (a person) away from something
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to divide or confuse the attention of (a person)
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to amuse or entertain
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to trouble greatly
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to make mad
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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distracternoun
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distractibilitynoun
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distractibleadjective
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distractingadjective
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distractiveadjective
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nondistractingadjective
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undistractingadjective
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distractinglyadverb
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distractivelyadverb
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nondistractinglyadverb
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undistractinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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distractsimple
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distractssimple
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have distractedperfect
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has distractedperfect
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am distractingprogressive
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are distractingprogressive
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is distractingprogressive
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have been distractingperfect progressive
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has been distractingperfect progressive
Past
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distractedsimple
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had distractedperfect
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was distractingprogressive
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were distractingprogressive
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had been distractingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of distract
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin distractus “drawn apart,” past participle of distrahere “to draw apart,” from dis- dis- 1 + trahere “to draw”
Explanation
Distract is what you do when you draw someone’s attention — Hey! Look! Over there! Oh. Never mind. What was I saying? That’s right: distract is to draw attention away from what someone is doing. Distract comes from the Latin word for “draw apart.” It can be annoying when someone or something distracts you. A loud car alarm or a talkative friend might distract you when you’re watching your favorite TV show. But being distracted is not always bad. Playing a round of miniature golf might distract you from feeling sad about the death of your parakeet.
Vocabulary lists containing distract
List 3
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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"In the Spotlight," Vocabulary from the informational text
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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:
Lineage said in a statement Tuesday that the permit application “will not impact or distract us from the important work of cleanup,” which remains the company’s top priority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff -- metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles -- and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Some fans speculated that Swift was using the arena to distract from her real wedding venue - but Gaffney said it seemed like much effort just for a decoy.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Not enough to distract from the beans themselves.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
I count in my head, anything to distract myself and avoid upchucking on the table in front of this woman.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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
An exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum distracts from its charming objects with a a heavy-handed curatorial message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Ultimately, the fixation on Hasan Piker distracts from more substantive issues.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
The attacker's unusual position drags Van Dijk away from the right side of the pitch and distracts him as PSG build up to what resulted in a goal.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
I fix Boomer’s breakfast—nothing distracts him like food—and am sitting down to pour myself a bowl of cereal when I realize Lily is staring at me.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
The document relied heavily on academic contributors, armchair intellectuals with zero industry experience, whose abstract theories distracted from the fundamental cause.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Extreme weather in the days before the final including ferocious storms, plus flooding and smoke from Canadian forest fires distracted many in the Big Apple.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Because there are so many Czech players, I don't think this familiarity is something they'll be distracted by.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Today, however, social media may be helping to keep consumers distracted, the TD Cowen analysts said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
She came to visit once or twice, always at an inconvenient time, and after her distracted daughter snapped at her during finals week junior year, she didn’t try to visit again.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
And then, are all these added elements distracting?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
These were almost as distracting as the dancing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Having the two leading U.S. names in dispute risks distracting the sector at the moment Washington says it wants a domestic industry built,” said David Abraham, who runs Materium Strata, a critical-mineral advisory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
They have what few candidates get: the opportunity to be unhinged and distracting in the opposite direction of someone like RFK Jr.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
A simple trick of distracting his attention long enough to slip out through the hall, despite the lingering temptation to stay.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
