# divert

/daɪˈvɝt/ (US) · /daɪvˈɜːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/divert
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to change direction

verb · CEFR B2

to make something move in a different direction or follow a different route.

For teachers: to cause someone or something to change course or turn from one direction to another. Transitive, often used with 'from' or 'to'.

- The police had to divert traffic because of the accident on the main road.
- The authorities decided to divert the river's flow into a series of man-made canals to prevent seasonal flooding in the valley.

### 2. to redirect resources

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to use money, time, or effort for a different purpose than originally planned.

For teachers: to reallocate money, attention, or resources from one purpose to another.

- The government diverted funds from the military to improve the local schools.
- The CEO was accused of diverting company profits into his personal offshore accounts over several years.

### 3. to distract

verb · CEFR B2

to take someone's attention away from what they are doing.

For teachers: to draw the attention of a person away from a particular object or course of action.

- The loud noise outside diverted my attention from the book I was reading.
- The magician used a puff of smoke to divert the audience's gaze while he hid the bird in his sleeve.

### 4. to entertain

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal · Literary

to entertain or amuse someone.

For teachers: to provide amusement or entertainment by occupying the mind. Often used in the passive voice.

- The children were diverted by the clown's funny tricks during the party.
- The host sought to divert his guests with a series of parlor games and light musical performances.

## Examples

- Police had to divert traffic because of the accident.
- The company decided to divert funds from the marketing budget to research and development.
- By leaking the controversial report early, the administration hoped to divert public attention from the ongoing economic crisis and focus the debate on national security.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.