deflect
v.v. to change the direction of something that is coming toward you. In a conversation, it means avoiding a question or criticism by talking about something else.
v. to cause something to change direction by interposing an obstacle; in a psychological or social context, to divert attention or criticism away from oneself toward another target.
He tried to deflect the blame onto his coworkers.
During the press conference, the politician managed to deflect every difficult question by bringing up his opponent's past mistakes.
The armor was specifically designed to deflect incoming projectiles rather than absorb the full force of the impact, significantly increasing the wearer's chances of survival.
From Latin deflecto, from de- (“away”) + flecto (“to bend”).
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; often used with the preposition 'from' or 'onto'.
he deflected from the questionhe deflected the questionWhen used to mean avoiding a topic, the verb is transitive and does not require 'from' before the object.