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
These structures help trigger premature detonation, deflect attacks, or block small drones targeting the turret roof.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Even Deb is the victim of a very British strain of class anxiety—not only trying to survive, but trying to deflect the shame of being a poor single mother in a society that hates poor single mothers.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
The infant daughter the couple shared was unharmed, and the 13-year-old survived the gunshot wound after the bullet hit the bridge of her nose and deflected through the top of her head, Judd said.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The second was an overthrow to Kendrick Bourne late that was deflected off Bourne’s hands and intercepted by Cam Bynum when the game was decided.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
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Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 29 Dec. 2025
Even Deb is the victim of a very British strain of class anxiety—not only trying to survive, but trying to deflect the shame of being a poor single mother in a society that hates poor single mothers.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
The infant daughter the couple shared was unharmed, and the 13-year-old survived the gunshot wound after the bullet hit the bridge of her nose and deflected through the top of her head, Judd said.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
The second was an overthrow to Kendrick Bourne late that was deflected off Bourne’s hands and intercepted by Cam Bynum when the game was decided.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deflect
Cite this Entry
“Deflect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deflect. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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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