as in deviation
a turning away from a course or standard
a stern father who would not tolerate the slightest deflection from the strict moral code that he imposed on his children
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Recent Examples of deflection
Toews’ deflection bounced high from the left face-off dot toward Wedgewood’s net — but before the goalie could control the rebound, Hartman swatted it like a pickleball volley in mid-air and past the Colorado goaltender for a 3-0 Minnesota lead.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
That’s why Rosengren, UCSD colleagues Thomas Bewley and Ben Hanson, and colleagues at the University of Arizona are investigating rare, low-probability chances for destruction, thereby offering authorities the best advice on when to launch deflection missions.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
San Diego opened the scoring early in the second half as Dudinha’s shot went in off a deflection from defender Sarah Gorden in the 49th minute.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 10 May 2026
While Jaquez did not provide the eye-popping scoring of some of her teammates, the wing brought a cool effectiveness to the defensive side of the ball while tallying a pair of assists and a handful of deflections.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflection
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
That’s why Rosengren, UCSD colleagues Thomas Bewley and Ben Hanson, and colleagues at the University of Arizona are investigating rare, low-probability chances for destruction, thereby offering authorities the best advice on when to launch deflection missions.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
San Diego opened the scoring early in the second half as Dudinha’s shot went in off a deflection from defender Sarah Gorden in the 49th minute.
—Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 10 May 2026
While Jaquez did not provide the eye-popping scoring of some of her teammates, the wing brought a cool effectiveness to the defensive side of the ball while tallying a pair of assists and a handful of deflections.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for deflection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflection
Noun
-
Equally important, treat deviations from your targets with rigor.—
Thierry Brunel,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Each component must perform within narrow tolerances, particularly at extended distances where minor deviations can significantly affect accuracy.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The existing political infrastructure has no way of accommodating migration on the coming scale, which will evacuate departure economies, and overwhelm destination societies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Though the Republican staffers’ departures are unrelated, their simultaneous exits leave Garcia with one less bridge to the Hill at a moment when US-Africa policy can least afford the disruption.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflection. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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