distract
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to stop someone from concentrating on something by making them look at or listen to something else.
to divert the attention of a person or group from their current focus or activity.
Simple“Please stop talking to me while I am driving because it distracts me.”
In context“The constant notifications on his smartphone served to distract him from the complex data analysis he was attempting to complete.”
PitfallThe loud music distracted me to my work. The loud music distracted me from my work.Use the preposition 'from' to indicate the activity you stopped focusing on.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
to make someone feel very upset, worried, or confused.
to agitate or unsettle someone to the point of extreme distress or mental confusion; often used in the passive voice.
Simple“The long delay and the heat were enough to distract even the most patient passengers.”
In context“He was nearly distracted by grief after the sudden loss of his business partner and the subsequent legal battles.”
“If a baby becomes restless or distracted during storytime, it's fine to stop reading and move on to something else.”
“Others defended the professor, saying the use of AI was not a serious issue and distracted from the argument at hand.”
Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.