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# deflect

verb (deflect, deflects, deflected, deflecting)

«deflect» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To deflect something means to make it change direction, especially by hitting it, like a ball bouncing off a player. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#m1)
2. To deflect attention, blame or a question means to turn it away from yourself or onto something else. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#m2)
3. (science) Light, a ray or a magnet's needle is deflected when it is turned to a new direction. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#m3)

### In the lessons

In sport it describes a ball hitting a player and changing direction (a deflected shot). In science lessons, mirrors deflect light and magnets deflect a compass needle. In stories and everyday life it shows a character avoiding blame or a hard question. Phrases: «deflect the blame», «deflect criticism», «deflect attention».

### Examples

- The goalkeeper deflected the ball over the bar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x1)
- The shot was deflected off a defender and went in. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x2)
- A mirror can deflect a beam of light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x3)
- The shield deflected the arrow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x4)
- He tried to deflect the blame onto his sister. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x5)
- She deflected the question by talking about the weather. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x6)
- The magnet deflected the compass needle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb: deflected. Noun: deflection. In football, a goal that is deflected may count as an own goal if it was heading wide. Not the same as «reflect»: reflect means bounce back (a mirror reflects); deflect means turn aside. Deflecting blame is often seen as unfair.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «deflect» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deflect/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«deflect» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/deflect.html) on Mova free.