deflect

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /dɪˈflɛkt/ UK /dɪˈflɛkt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to cause to change direction; to turn aside, especially blame or attention

She tried to deflect the question with a joke.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cause to change... divert deviate avert sidetrack parry turn redirect

Opposites

attract draw aim direct

Word family

Derived forms deflectiondeflectordeflectivedeflected

Related forms reflect inflect flexible flex

Simplified etymology

Deflect entered English in the mid-16th century and belongs to the word family derived from Latin flectere, “to bend.” Its meaning is “bend away.”

Etymology

From Latin deflectere ('to bend down or aside'), from de- ('away') + flectere ('to bend').

deflectere Latin flectere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# deflect

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈflɛkt/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈflɛkt/

## Meanings
1. to cause to change direction; to turn aside, especially blame or attention

## Examples
- She tried to deflect the question with a joke.

## Synonyms
- divert
- deviate
- avert
- sidetrack
- parry
- turn
- redirect

## Antonyms
- attract
- draw
- aim
- direct

## Derived Forms
- deflection
- deflector
- deflective
- deflected

## Related Forms
- reflect
- inflect
- flexible
- flex

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: deflectere
- Root: flectere

## Etymology
From Latin deflectere ('to bend down or aside'), from de- ('away') + flectere ('to bend').

## AI Etymology
Deflect comes from Latin deflectere ('to bend down or aside'), from de- ('away') + flectere ('to bend'). The etymological trail includes Latin deflectere and Latin flectere. As a verb, deflect means to cause to change direction; to turn aside, especially blame or attention. The same family is visible in derived forms such as deflection, deflector, deflective, and deflected and related forms such as reflect, inflect, flexible, and flex. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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