English Reference

Word

deflected

Phoneticsde·flect·ed

US/dɪˈfɫɛktɪd/

UK/dɪflˈɛktɪd/

Definition

v. to change the direction of something that is moving, often by hitting it or putting something in its way. It can also mean turning someone's attention away from a topic.

v. past tense and past participle of 'deflect'; refers to causing an object to change course by interposing an obstacle or redirecting a person's attention or criticism.

Examples

“The goalkeeper deflected the ball over the bar.”

“The politician deflected the reporter's difficult question by talking about his recent successes instead.”

“The asteroid's path was slightly deflected by the gravitational pull of the passing moon, preventing a direct collision with the planet's surface.”

Examples

simple

“The goalkeeper deflected the ball over the bar.”

contextual

“The politician deflected the reporter's difficult question by talking about his recent successes instead.”

complex

“The asteroid's path was slightly deflected by the gravitational pull of the passing moon, preventing a direct collision with the planet's surface.”

Usage

The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object representing the object or attention being redirected.

Real-World Examples

“Rushworth was at full stretch to tip over a powerful drive from Lewis-Skelly before Ødegaard had a goalbound effort deflected wide.”
The Guardian · 21 Aug 2026
“But a miscontrol by Jannik Schuster saw the centre-back booked for bringing down Vazquez and from Paik’s short free-kick Gray drilled a deflected shot through a crowd of players.”
BreakingNews.ie · 25 Aug 2026

Domain

Botany

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/deflected

English Reference