How to Use deflect in a Sentence

deflect

verb
Definition of deflectnext
Synonyms for deflectnext
  • The goalie deflected the ball with his hands.
  • The blame was deflected from the chairman.
  • The ball deflected off the goalie's shoulder.
  • They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy.
  • The bait covers the hook point, deflects weeds, and offers a taste of prey.
    — Will Ryan, Field & Stream, 5 July 2023
  • Ekblad’s shot clipped the goal cage and deflected off Levi on its way to the back of the net.
    — George Richards, Sun Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2023
  • The aim of the game is to get the disc inside the can and deflect the other team’s disc with the help of a partner.
    — Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2023
  • The senior keeper was able to get a piece of the hard shot and deflect the ball wide of her goal.
    — Eric Bem, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Burney reached out to deflect the ball with his right hand.
    — Marc Weiszer, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2022
  • Nick Cross leaped high in front of a 6-foot-5 tight end to graze and deflect the ball with his finger tips.
    — Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 29 July 2022
  • Except the throw was off, the ball bouncing in the dirt ahead of Walsh and deflecting off his glove.
    — Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023
  • Is there a polite way to deflect the first question to avoid the second?
    — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2022
  • Again, the electron will always deflect by the same amount toward one of the poles.
    — Quanta Magazine, 20 July 2021
  • Reinhart deflected in a Tkachuk shot from the blue line on the power play.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024
  • Thomas leapt to deflect Ben Bryant’s short pass, then grabbed the ball out of the air and ran for a 27-yard touchdown (the extra point failed).
    — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 18 Dec. 2021
  • Knight made it 5-3 by deflecting in Harvey’s shot from the left point.
    — John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Apr. 2023
  • Boli had a run at another chance in the 41st minute, but it was deflected away.
    — oregonlive, 24 June 2023
  • The ball bounced near home plate, deflected off catcher Jake Rogers' chest protector and rolled to the front of the Tigers' dugout.
    — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 3 May 2023
  • Larin passed to Davies, but Turner managed to get his right hand on the ball and deflect it wide.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2021
  • He jabs, then hooks, then jabs again, but his blows all deflect off Charles Conwell.
    — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 18 Nov. 2021
  • Cozens and Tuch both deflected it, and Tuch got credit for the goal.
    — Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 30 Nov. 2024
  • These sit on the surface of the skin and deflect and scatter damaging UVA rays away.
    — Chelsea Burns, womenshealthmag.com, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Barbara is questioned by reporters about the case, while Rusty searches for the truth — or ways to deflect the blame.
    — Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024
  • The ball deflected off Lugo’s shoulder for his first goal of the season.
    — Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2023
  • The second free kick was straight ahead and the ball moved left to right as the goalie leaped up and was unable to deflect it as landed in the right corner of the net.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2024
  • The folks mucking around in D.C. problems are trying to deflect from their own, back home.
    — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2022
  • In a public setting, Smith will often deflect when asked about who starts and who comes off the bench.
    — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Nov. 2022
  • There then followed a clip of Blinken trying and failing to deflect a question over the land seizure.
    — Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
  • Josh Morrissey’s wrister went off the leg of Gabriel Vilardi, who was standing at the front left side of Blackwood, and the puck deflected into the net.
    — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2025
  • With six minutes remaining in the half, the Griffins’ Cami Ainslie, who was dribbling down the left sideline, curved toward the goal and took a hard shot that the Oilers’ keeper managed to deflect away.
    — Lou Ponsi, Orange County Register, 16 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deflect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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