Deflect
verb
To make something change direction, or not go in the direction it was going to go.
The goalkeeper deflected the ball, preventing a goal.
Often appears as...
- deflect a question
- deflect the blame
verb
To cause someone or something to not give you or something else the attention it should have.
He tried to deflect attention from his own illegal activities by blaming others.
Often appears as...
- deflect criticism
- deflect responsibility
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To make something change direction, or not go in the direction it was going to go.
The goalkeeper deflected the ball, preventing a goal.
Often appears as...
- deflect a question
- deflect the blame
verb
To cause someone or something to not give you or something else the attention it should have.
He tried to deflect attention from his own illegal activities by blaming others.
Often appears as...
- deflect criticism
- deflect responsibility
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Deflection
Used when an object's path is physically altered by someone or something.
The tennis player deflected the ball with a quick backhand.
Pro Tip 2/3Subtle Evasion
Subtly turning a situation away from a desired focus, often in conversation.
During the debate, she deflected the criticism with a joke.
Pro Tip 3/3Strategic Avoidance
Intentionally redirecting attention to avoid dealing with a particular subject.
To avoid controversy, the CEO deflected the blame onto the market conditions.
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Deflection
Used when an object's path is physically altered by someone or something.
The tennis player deflected the ball with a quick backhand.
Pro Tip 2/3Subtle Evasion
Subtly turning a situation away from a desired focus, often in conversation.
During the debate, she deflected the criticism with a joke.
Pro Tip 3/3Strategic Avoidance
Intentionally redirecting attention to avoid dealing with a particular subject.
To avoid controversy, the CEO deflected the blame onto the market conditions.
Pro Tip 1/3Physical Deflection
Used when an object's path is physically altered by someone or something.
The tennis player deflected the ball with a quick backhand.
Pro Tip 2/3Subtle Evasion
Subtly turning a situation away from a desired focus, often in conversation.
During the debate, she deflected the criticism with a joke.
Pro Tip 3/3Strategic Avoidance
Intentionally redirecting attention to avoid dealing with a particular subject.
To avoid controversy, the CEO deflected the blame onto the market conditions.
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Video examples
Which sunscreen should...
age your skin, and promote the development of potentially deadly skin cancer. Sunscreen protects your skin either physically by deflecting UV rays with an inorganic blocker like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, or chemically by using carbon-based compounds to absorb UV photons
Video examples
Fred Jansen: How to land...
And sometimes these objects run into each other, and they gravitationally deflect, and then the gravity of Jupiter pulls them back into the solar system. And they then become the comets as we see them in the sky. The important thing here to note is that in the meantime,
Video examples
Understanding asteroids...
what to do we're not going to blow them up like you see in the movies instead we're going to deflect them will launch some spacecraft that will push or pull the asteroids into a different orbit so that they're no longer on a path to impact earth within enough advanced
Video examples
The fundamentals of...
or the way that light rays are deflected by massive objects. More importantly, Einstein's theory predicts things that simply don't exist in older theories where space, time and gravity were separate. The stitching can leave wrinkles in the space-time material.
Video examples
Peter Singer: The why...
Here's one risk of extinction that we all became aware of recently, when an asteroid passed close to our planet. Possibly research could help us not only to predict the path of asteroids that might collide with us, but actually to deflect them.
Video examples
Could the Earth be...
If we observe several stars orbiting around an apparently empty point, a black hole could be leading the dance. Similarly, light that passes close enough to an event horizon will be deflected in a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.
Video examples
Afghan IED Sweep PIPE...
deflected to the sides the team advances to the next location of a reported iev the old an explosive device or anything like that or gets set nobody comes through keep the local Nationals out one for their safety and
Video examples
Best Of Oceans PIPE BBC...
far below the surface they collide with the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients such upwellings attract great concentrations of life
Video examples
The Blue Planet...
key factor the deep ocean currents far below the surface they collide with the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients
Video examples
Why are Thousands of...
the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients such upwellings attract great concentrations of life
Video examples
Which sunscreen should...
age your skin, and promote the development of potentially deadly skin cancer. Sunscreen protects your skin either physically by deflecting UV rays with an inorganic blocker like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, or chemically by using carbon-based compounds to absorb UV photons
Video examples
Fred Jansen: How to land...
And sometimes these objects run into each other, and they gravitationally deflect, and then the gravity of Jupiter pulls them back into the solar system. And they then become the comets as we see them in the sky. The important thing here to note is that in the meantime,
Video examples
Understanding asteroids...
what to do we're not going to blow them up like you see in the movies instead we're going to deflect them will launch some spacecraft that will push or pull the asteroids into a different orbit so that they're no longer on a path to impact earth within enough advanced
Video examples
The fundamentals of...
or the way that light rays are deflected by massive objects. More importantly, Einstein's theory predicts things that simply don't exist in older theories where space, time and gravity were separate. The stitching can leave wrinkles in the space-time material.
Video examples
Peter Singer: The why...
Here's one risk of extinction that we all became aware of recently, when an asteroid passed close to our planet. Possibly research could help us not only to predict the path of asteroids that might collide with us, but actually to deflect them.
Video examples
Could the Earth be...
If we observe several stars orbiting around an apparently empty point, a black hole could be leading the dance. Similarly, light that passes close enough to an event horizon will be deflected in a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.
Video examples
Afghan IED Sweep PIPE...
deflected to the sides the team advances to the next location of a reported iev the old an explosive device or anything like that or gets set nobody comes through keep the local Nationals out one for their safety and
Video examples
Best Of Oceans PIPE BBC...
far below the surface they collide with the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients such upwellings attract great concentrations of life
Video examples
The Blue Planet...
key factor the deep ocean currents far below the surface they collide with the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients
Video examples
Why are Thousands of...
the islands flanks and are deflected upwards bringing with them from the depths a rich soup of nutrients such upwellings attract great concentrations of life
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Barton Gellman
American Journalist
For a decade, makers of AIDS medicines had rejected the idea of lowering prices in poor countries for fear of eroding profits in rich ones. The position required a balancing act, because the companies had to deflect attacks on the global reach of their patents, which granted exclusive marketing rights for antiretroviral drugs.
Quote examples
Thomas McGuane
American Author
People don't understand how much influence they can actually have on a writer, how much a writer's feelings can be hurt, how much they can deflect his course when they raise their voices like they did over highly personal books like 'Panama' or 'Bullet Park.
Quote examples
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
American Scientist
Perhaps the earliest memories I have are of being a stubborn, determined child. Through the years my mother has told me that it was fortunate that I chose to do acceptable things, for if I had chosen otherwise, no one could have deflected me from my path.
Quote examples
Neil deGrasse Tyson
American Scientist
I don't want to be the embarrassment of the galaxy to have had the power to deflect an asteroid, and then not and end up going extinct. We'd be the laughingstock of the aliens of the cosmos if that were the case.
Quote examples
Jane Lynch
American Actress
So much of Sue Sylvester, the angry woman, came from that part of my life, wanting to crush other people's dreams and judging others so harshly, which is always just a way of deflecting your own self-judgment.
Quote examples
John Lanchester
British Journalist
My mum had this amazing ability to deflect things, and from an early age, I knew what I was not supposed to talk about.
Quote examples
Nathan Myhrvold
American Businessman
Sooner or later the space program will need to save us by detecting and deflecting an incoming asteroid.
Quote examples
Mika
British Musician
In my older songs, I used to hide behind fictional characters to deflect attention away from myself.
Quote examples
JaVale McGee
American Athlete
People try to bring negativity into my life, but it's crazy how I deflect it.
Quote examples
Lesley Sharp
English Actress
You can choose to go about your life attracting attention or deflecting it.
Quote examples
Barton Gellman
American Journalist
For a decade, makers of AIDS medicines had rejected the idea of lowering prices in poor countries for fear of eroding profits in rich ones. The position required a balancing act, because the companies had to deflect attacks on the global reach of their patents, which granted exclusive marketing rights for antiretroviral drugs.
Quote examples
Thomas McGuane
American Author
People don't understand how much influence they can actually have on a writer, how much a writer's feelings can be hurt, how much they can deflect his course when they raise their voices like they did over highly personal books like 'Panama' or 'Bullet Park.
Quote examples
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
American Scientist
Perhaps the earliest memories I have are of being a stubborn, determined child. Through the years my mother has told me that it was fortunate that I chose to do acceptable things, for if I had chosen otherwise, no one could have deflected me from my path.
Quote examples
Neil deGrasse Tyson
American Scientist
I don't want to be the embarrassment of the galaxy to have had the power to deflect an asteroid, and then not and end up going extinct. We'd be the laughingstock of the aliens of the cosmos if that were the case.
Quote examples
Jane Lynch
American Actress
So much of Sue Sylvester, the angry woman, came from that part of my life, wanting to crush other people's dreams and judging others so harshly, which is always just a way of deflecting your own self-judgment.
Quote examples
John Lanchester
British Journalist
My mum had this amazing ability to deflect things, and from an early age, I knew what I was not supposed to talk about.
Quote examples
Nathan Myhrvold
American Businessman
Sooner or later the space program will need to save us by detecting and deflecting an incoming asteroid.
Quote examples
Mika
British Musician
In my older songs, I used to hide behind fictional characters to deflect attention away from myself.
Quote examples
JaVale McGee
American Athlete
People try to bring negativity into my life, but it's crazy how I deflect it.
Quote examples
Lesley Sharp
English Actress
You can choose to go about your life attracting attention or deflecting it.
Example 1 of 10
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