[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/misdirection/)

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# misdirection

noun (misdirection — usually uncountable)

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

## Everyday

1. Making people look at or think about the wrong thing so they don't notice what is really happening, used by magicians and tricksters. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#m1)
2. Sending someone the wrong way or giving wrong instructions. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#m2)

### In the lessons

In lessons about truth, lies and tricks: magicians use misdirection — they make you look at one hand while the other hand does the trick; scammers and some adverts use misdirection too, so pay attention to what you are not being shown. In stories: a mystery writer uses misdirection to hide the real culprit.

### Examples

- The magician used misdirection to hide the coin. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x1)
- While he talked, his other hand did the trick – that's misdirection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x2)
- Mystery stories use misdirection to surprise readers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x3)
- The scammer's email used misdirection to get people to click. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x4)
- Pickpockets use misdirection to steal wallets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x5)
- A wrong road sign caused a lot of misdirection. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/misdirection/#x6)

### Note

Usually uncountable. Prefix mis- (wrongly) + direction. Related verb: misdirect. Knowing about misdirection helps you spot tricks — it is not real magic.

## On Mova

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