deflected

[dih-flek-tid] / dɪˈflɛk tɪd /

VERB

bounce off; turn aside

Synonyms

STRONGEST

avert bend cover up divert hook pivot ricochet slip swerve veer whip

STRONG

curve deviate disperse diverge fend parry sheer shy sidetrack slew twist wheel whirl wind

WEAK

glance off hold off keep off volte-face

Antonyms

STRONGEST

stay straighten

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Others, including a few party leaders, deflected questions by citing a focus on this year’s midterm elections.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

"I'm not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says."

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Staley deflected a reporter’s questions about what Auriemma claimed she said to officials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

"The team's amazingly precise measurement again validates kinetic impact as a technique for defending Earth against asteroid hazards and shows how a binary asteroid might be deflected by impacting just one member of the pair."

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Challenges to the system will be easily absorbed or deflected, and the accommodations made will serve primarily to legitimate the system, not undermine it.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander