deflect

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.

When Exxon Mobil counterpunched with its defamation claim, Mr. Bonta’s spokesperson called it “another attempt from Exxon Mobil to deflect attention from its own unlawful deception.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

In December, The Times revealed that the city’s after-action report had been altered to deflect criticism of LAFD’s failure to predeploy engines and crews to the Palisades, among other shortcomings.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

When called to testify before an oversight board, a police official can deflect accusations of targeting specific racial groups or poorer neighborhoods, claiming that they are merely following the objective dictates of a machine.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

"We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan, which are nothing but its usual tactics to deflect attention from its own internal failings," said foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal on Sunday.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

It had kept Cari busy, and Naomi had managed to deflect her increasingly insistent questions about their mother.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez