de·vi·a·tion
ˌdē-vē-ˈā-shən 
: an act or instance of deviating: such as
a
navigation
: deflection of the needle of a compass caused by local magnetic influences (as in a ship)
b
mathematics
: the difference between a value in a frequency distribution and a fixed number (such as the mean)
c
: departure from an established ideology or party line
deviation from Communist orthodoxy
d
: noticeable or marked departure from accepted norms (see norm sense 2) of behavior
de·vi·a·tion·ism
plural -s
: defection or divergence from a party line especially of the Communist party
Examples of deviation in a Sentence
Noun (1)
There have been slight deviations in the satellite's orbit.
Having juice instead of coffee was a deviation from his usual routine.
The pattern's deviation from the norm is significant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
The Air units appear in an even darker black than the Fragment edition, and the only deviations in color arrive in the form of white branding on the insole and within the negative space created by the Air outsole.
—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
30 June 2026
Likewise, when called to develop a system of free and public schools, innovative options working together as an educational ecosystem for the greater public should be the expectation, not viewed as a warring deviation from the original intent.
—
Tiffany Thenor,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast are likely to see the biggest deviations from seasonal averages.
—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for deviation
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Noun
Prices for one-standard-deviation out-of-the-money calls on the Nasdaq – contracts with a 16% chance of expiring in-the-money – are currently in the 58th percentile, down from the 99th percentile in May, according to Nations Indexes' CallDex index.
—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
2 July 2026
The Air units appear in an even darker black than the Fragment edition, and the only deviations in color arrive in the form of white branding on the insole and within the negative space created by the Air outsole.
—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
30 June 2026
Likewise, when called to develop a system of free and public schools, innovative options working together as an educational ecosystem for the greater public should be the expectation, not viewed as a warring deviation from the original intent.
—
Tiffany Thenor,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast are likely to see the biggest deviations from seasonal averages.
—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for deviation
Cite this Entry
“Deviation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deviation. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deviation
noun
de·vi·a·tion
ˌdē-vē-ˈā-shən
: an act or instance of deviating: as
a
: the difference found by subtracting some fixed number (as the arithmetic mean of a series of statistical data) from any item of the series
b
: noticeable difference from accepted standards (as of behavior or morals)
Medical Definition
deviation
noun
de·vi·a·tion
ˌdē-vē-ˈā-shən
: an act or instance of diverging from an established way or in a new direction: as
a
: evolutionary differentiation involving interpolation of new stages in the ancestral pattern of morphogenesis
b
: noticeable or marked departure from accepted norms of behavior
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