diversion
Americannoun
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the act of diverting diverting or turning aside, as from a course or purpose.
a diversion of industry into the war effort.
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a channel made to divert the flow of water from one course to another or to direct the flow of water draining from a piece of ground.
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British. a detour on a highway or road.
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distraction from business, care, etc.; recreation; amusement; a pastime.
Movies are his favorite diversion.
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Military. a feint intended to draw off attention from the point of main attack.
noun
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the act of diverting from a specified course
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an official detour used by traffic when a main route is closed
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something that distracts from business, etc; amusement
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military a feint attack designed to draw an enemy away from the main attack
Other Word Forms
- diversional adjective
- prediversion noun
Etymology
Origin of diversion
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin dīversiōn- (stem of dīversiō ), equivalent to Latin dīvers ( us ) diverse + -iōn- -ion
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.
Equities markets will be closed for the Good Friday holiday, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its all-important jobs report Friday, perhaps offering some diversion from Middle East headlines.
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
Some vessels have exited the strait after making a brief diversion through a channel between two islands off Iran’s coast, Larak and Qeshm, and hewing close to Iran’s coast.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
O’Connor reportedly asked the judge to delay the musician’s case so it could be transferred to an unspecified diversion program, which could keep her client from serving jail time.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
What starts out as a seemingly harmless diversion quickly becomes a trap.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
“Would it be possible for you to create some kind of diversion while I’m getting the tapestry? Could you keep the rats occupied, Basil?”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
