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| de·flect [ di flékt ] (past and past participle de·flect·ed, present participle de·flect·ing, 3rd person present singular de·flects) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb change course: to change course because of hitting something, or change something's course by coming into contact with it
  The pitcher's arm deflected the ball into the outfield.
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2. transitive verb direct attention away: to direct people's attention or criticism away from a subject or issue to something else
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3. transitive verb force alteration of plans: to force somebody to change what he or she is doing or planning to do
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| [Mid-16th century. < Latin deflectere "bend away" < flectere "bend"] |
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| de·flect·a·ble adjective |
| de·flec·tive adjective |
| de·flec·tor noun |
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