deflected; deflecting; deflects
1
: to cause (something) to change direction especially from a straight course
armor that deflects bullets
deflecting attention from the troubled economy
deflect a question
2
: to keep (something, as a question) from affecting or being directed at a person or thing
was able to deflect criticism
: to hit something and change direction
the shot deflected off the goalie's shoulder pad
Examples of deflect in a Sentence
armor that can deflect bullets
The goalie deflected the ball with his hands.
The ball deflected off the goalie's shoulder.
They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy.
The blame was deflected from the chairman.
Recent Examples on the Web
Establishing a prime position in front of the blue paint, Larocque deflected a shot from Rory Guilday to strike first.
—
Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
The puck hit the skate of Dallas defender Ilya Lyubushkin and deflected into the net.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
In the top of the 10th inning, with Drew Gilbert as the automatic runner on second, Ramos led off with a groundball single that deflected off second baseman Bryson Stott’s glove.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Promptly showing emails, documents, deposition testimony, and social media posts that contradict Musk’s testimony, the lawyer pushed the billionaire to make concessions before the jury on many topics Musk tried to deflect.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
The puck hit the skate of Dallas defender Ilya Lyubushkin and deflected into the net.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
In the top of the 10th inning, with Drew Gilbert as the automatic runner on second, Ramos led off with a groundball single that deflected off second baseman Bryson Stott’s glove.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Promptly showing emails, documents, deposition testimony, and social media posts that contradict Musk’s testimony, the lawyer pushed the billionaire to make concessions before the jury on many topics Musk tried to deflect.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deflect
verb
de·flect
di-ˈflekt 
: to turn or cause to turn aside (as from a course, direction, or position)
a bullet deflected by striking a wall
deflection
noun
-ˈflek-shən
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