as in swung
to change the course or direction of (something)
the wind deflected the Frisbee just as I was about to lunge for it
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Recent Examples of deflected
An asteroid that scientists initially feared might pose a risk to Earth may could instead strike the moon in 2032, according to the European Space Agency, but some scientists are suggesting it could be deflected with kinetic or nuclear explosions.
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Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 23 Sep. 2025
The pair then combined down the right wing in stoppage time and created a chance for Kudus but his shot was deflected for a corner.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Multiple deflected shots pinged around to Bia Zaneratto; her shot was blocked in front of the goal, but Chawinga was there to dunk the header into an empty net in the 74th minute.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2025
Pablo López raced off the mound, chasing after a ball that deflected off of his foot.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 20 Sep. 2025
But, when asked about the book’s relatively tepid judgments of the President and his party, Manchin has deflected or demurred.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Smith didn’t complete a single pass that traveled in the air for 10 yards or more, and the Chargers deflected 15 of his throws.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
But the ball deflected off the tight end’s right hand, then his chest, and ended up in the grateful arms of Eagles safety Drew Mukuba.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Preston Judd provided an answer in the 18th minute but the Quakes wouldn’t get any closer until LAFC’s Sergi Palencia deflected a goal into the back of his own net late in the second half.
—Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflected
Verb
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The officer swung his undercover truck around, radioing his team to converge on a man who was depositing a $50 bill into the machine.—
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Over the last two years, his role and those expectations have swung the other way.—
Verb
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Special teams needs to tighten the screws The Dolphins have made one special teams mistake per loss that turned the tide of the game.—
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The bewildering story of John Bender, a young Wall Street genius whose dream of life in a mansion sanctuary in the Costa Rican jungle turned sour, is set to launch as a podcast.—
Verb
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Folding whipped topping gently into the pudding mixture keeps the filling fluffy and mousse-like.—
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Let’s look at one of his near-misses on Sunday, when the Panthers played a remarkably good game and whipped Atlanta, 30-0, in their home opener.—
Verb
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Airports in Copenhagen and Norway temporarily suspended operations and diverted flights on Monday night after reports of drones in the Nordic countries’ airspace.—
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In 2024, LS&Co reports that key suppliers (which the company defines as suppliers covering more than 80 percent of its global product units) diverted 77 percent of waste from landfill—up one percent from the prior year.—
Verb
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Tipsword explained under the law, 911 dispatchers need additional training to recognize when certain calls should be redirected to the 988 crisis line.—
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Aircraft were redirected to another runway.—
Cite this Entry
“Deflected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflected. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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