ENGLISH
REFERENCE

distracted

v.
B1 Intermediate US //dɪˈstɹæktəd// UK //dɪstɹˈæktɪd// dis·tract·ed

v. unable to pay attention to what you are doing because you are thinking about something else. It describes the feeling of having your focus pulled away by a noise, a thought, or an event.

v. having one's attention drawn away from a primary task or focus. Often used to describe a mental state resulting from external interruptions or internal preoccupation.


SIMPLE

I felt distracted by the loud music next door.

CONTEXTUAL

She tried to finish the report, but she was too distracted by the news she had received that morning.

COMPLEX

Drivers who are distracted by mobile devices are significantly more likely to miss critical visual cues, leading to a higher incidence of avoidable accidents on the road.

Synonyms
Usage

Commonly follows the verbs 'be', 'feel', or 'become'; frequently takes the preposition 'by'.

Pitfall

He was distracted from the noise.He was distracted by the noise.While you can be distracted 'from' a task, the cause of the distraction is introduced by 'by'.

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