divertdi‧vert /daɪˈvɜːt, də- $ -ɜːrt/ ●○○ verb [transitive] 
The company should divert more resources into research. Officials diverted revenue from arms sales to the rebels.2to change the direction in which something travelsdivert a river/footpath/road etc Canals divert water from the Truckee River into the lake. The high street is closed and traffic is being diverted.3if you divert your telephone calls, you arrange for them to go directly to another number, for example because you are not able to answer them yourself for some time: Remember to divert your phone when you are out of the office.4to deliberately take someone’s attention from something by making them think about or notice other thingsdivert (somebody’s) attention (away from somebody/something) The crime crackdown is an attempt to divert attention from social problems. He’d been trying to divert suspicion away from himself.5formal to amuse or entertain someone
WORD ORIGINdivert
Origin:
1400-1500 Old French divertir, from Latin divertere, from vertere ‘to turn’VERB TABLE
divert
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | divert |
| he, she, it | diverts | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | diverted |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have diverted |
| he, she, it | has diverted | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had diverted |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will divert |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have diverted |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am diverting |
| he, she, it | is diverting | |
| you, we, they | are diverting | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was diverting |
| you, we, they | were diverting | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been diverting |
| he, she, it | has been diverting | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been diverting |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be diverting |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been diverting |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Bring games in the car to divert the children during a long trip.
- Farmers were illegally diverting water to save their crops.
- According to Williams, Woods intervened at that point and announced that no funds would be diverted.
- Environmentalists keep quiet because concern over radon in houses would divert attention from the campaign against nuclear power.
- In all, $ 2.2 million in federal funds was illegally diverted by those convicted, prosecutors said.
- Shrub roses were trussed to let people pass; signs erected to divert visitors from the non-scenic compost heap.
- The software then diverts all output across the network to the printer on the other machine.
- Traffic was diverted on to the A166 as emergency services cleared the wreckage between Dunnington and Kexby, near York.
- We heard that he was accusing us of diverting all the water on to his field.
- What if unlimited water should be diverted from the two cascades by power-hungry industrialists and power-hungry governments?
Longman Language Activatorto avoid attention or take attention away
to make a special effort to be normal, inoffensive, or quiet, so that people will not pay attention to you: not draw attention to: · It was obvious that Jackson didn't want to draw attention to himself. without drawing attention: · The city's wealth allows drug traffickers to live a comfortable lifestyle without drawing attention to themselves. avoid drawing attention: · Aides to the Prime Minister tried to avoid drawing public attention to the speech.
to make someone pay attention to one thing or person, either deliberately or without intending to, so that they do not pay attention to another: · The government was hoping to draw attention away from the current economic crisis.· His 'bad-boy' behaviour tends to draw attention away from many of the good things he is doing in his community.
to make someone stop paying attention to something important, either deliberately or without intending to: · The debate is diverting attention from the urgent need to improve the way the medical system cares for terminally ill patients.divert/distract attention from: · The bomb could have been planted in order to distract attention from the robbery.distract/divert somebody's attention: · Before we could explore the matter further, some new evidence diverted our attention.
British informal to make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing, especially so that they make a mistake: · Stop staring at me, it's putting me off.put somebody off their game/stroke: · All the noise from the crowd put Alison off her game.
to try not to make anyone notice you for a period of time, for example because you have done something bad: · She's keeping a low profile until the scandal is forgotten.· Many of the exiles have married, taken jobs, and generally kept a low profile.
WORD SETSairbed, nounalbum, nounamusement arcade, nounamusement park, nounaquarium, nounarcade, nounauditorium, nounbachelor party, nounball, nounballoon, nounballroom, nounballroom dancing, nounbank holiday, nounbanquet, nounbanqueting hall, nounbarhop, verbbash, nounbask, verbbean feast, nounbeauty contest, nounbeer mat, nounblock party, nounboathouse, nounbon vivant, nounbooking, nounbooze-up, nounbop, nounbouncer, nounbrasserie, nounbumper car, nounbus, verbcafé, nouncaff, nouncanteen, nouncard, nouncarnival, nouncarousel, nouncarry-out, nouncarvery, nouncassette player, nouncassette recorder, nounceilidh, nounchannel surfing, nouncheckroom, nouncircus, nouncloakroom, nounclosing time, nounclubbing, nouncoconut shy, nouncoffee house, nouncoffee shop, nouncommunity centre, nouncomp, nounconcession stand, nouncounty fair, nouncracker, noundating agency, nounday camp, noundesignated driver, noundinner dance, noundinner party, noundisco, noundiscotheque, noundive, noundiversion, noundivert, verbdo, noundoor prize, noundrinks party, nouneat, verbfad, nounfandango, nounfanzine, nounflower arranging, nounfootpath, nounfree house, noungame, nounget-together, nounhappy hour, nounholdall, nounhouse party, nounice skate, nounice-skate, verbjukebox, nounjumble, nounjumble sale, nounknitting needle, nounleisure centre, nounlending library, nounlounge, nounlounge bar, nounmacramé, nounmask, nounmasked ball, nounmasquerade, nounmaster of ceremonies, nounmatador, nounmaypole, nounMC, nounmen's room, nounmerrymaking, nounmixer, nounnightclub, nounnightlife, nounnight spot, nounoffice party, nounopening time, nounopen mike, nounorgy, nounouting, nounpageant, nounpageantry, nounPancake Day, nounparty, nounparty, verbparty favor, nounparty piece, nounpeepshow, nounpep rally, nounperm, verbpetting zoo, nounPG, nounpinball, nounpitch, nounpizzeria, nounpony-trekking, nounpostprandial, adjectivepress, nounpub, nounpub-crawl, nounpublican, nounpublic bar, nounquality time, nounquiz, nounR & R, nounradio-cassette player, nounraffle, nounraffle, verbrave, nounrecreation, nounrecreation room, nounrelaxation, nounrendezvous, nounrest room, nounrevel, verbreveller, nounrevelry, nounrifle range, nounroadhouse, nounroast, nounrodeo, nounRollerblade, nounroller skate, nounround, nounsaloon, nounsauna, nounset, adjectiveshooting gallery, nounshower, nounsideshow, nounsiesta, nounsingalong, nounsingsong, nounskinny-dipping, nounsnack bar, nounsnug, nounsocial, nounsoda fountain, nounsoiree, nounsolarium, nounspectator, nounspree, nounsteakhouse, nounstrip club, nounstrip joint, nounstripper, nounstrip show, nounstriptease, nounsummer camp, nounsummer holidays, nounsummer vacation, nounsunbed, nounsunlamp, nountable d'hôte, nountavern, nounteahouse, nountearoom, nountea shop, nountheme party, nounthree-star, adjectivetop table, nountrophy, nounTurkish bath, nounvacation, nounvideo arcade, nounwander, nounwassail, verbweekend, verbweekender, nounwindow-shopping, nounwomen's room, nounworkbasket, nounzoo, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The company should divert more resources into research. Canals divert water from the Truckee River into the lake. The high street is closed and traffic is being diverted. The crime crackdown is an attempt to divert attention from social problems. He’d been trying to divert suspicion away from himself.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
The company should divert more resources into research. Canals divert water from the Truckee River into the lake. The high street is closed and traffic is being diverted. The crime crackdown is an attempt to divert attention from social problems. He’d been trying to divert suspicion away from himself. (=it is made to change direction and land at a different airport)· Our flight was diverted to Manchester because of poor weather.
(=make people have suspicions about someone else)· He started the rumour to divert suspicion from himself.
(=made to go in another direction)· Traffic was diverted onto the A166 as emergency services cleared the wreckage
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· It viewed the Marshalls attack merely as an enemy attempt to divert strength from our southern operations.
· Nor can Major divert attention with good news.· For example: should he stick with Black or divert his attention to the woman?· Environmentalists keep quiet because concern over radon in houses would divert attention from the campaign against nuclear power.· Elya must be furious with her, and she was trying to divert his attention.· The need would be to show, against reasonable expectation, that the second did not divert attention from the first.· That's another way of saying that people have little to divert their attention in restrooms.· Disguise Disguise your steps with feints that make the opponent blink, or which divert his attention elsewhere.· Forbes responded that this is an attempt by his rivals to divert attention from the issues.
· Sport for example diverted the energy of the masses into activities that could inculcate both useful and attractive qualities.· Its products also absorb and divert electrical energy.
· Left: Waterfalls can chill your water in the winter, unless you divert the flow with a length of pipe.
· The submarine tragedy reminds us that armaments and related technologies remain the main sump that diverts funds from essential human priorities.· In recent years, Wilson and the Legislature also have diverted some transportation funds to the deficit-ridden state general fund.
· Is it not true that the Government want to divert that money to keep down the poll tax in Wandsworth and Westminster?
· Large sums of money were diverted to them.· All that money diverted from the city treasury predictably left Neza near bankruptcy.· That extra money would then be diverted into personal retirement accounts.
· Salty water Negi says the 1819 earthquake created a 100-kilometre-long fissure that diverted the river.· The Friant Dam, which diverts the river by canal to Kern County, left the riverbed dry.
· If the charges for motorway use are too high, they will divert drivers to other roads.
· Small channels are built to divert some of the traffic to the new route.
· We heard that he was accusing us of diverting all the water on to his field.· Advocates of globalisation advise third world economic planners to divert water away from food production to increase manufacturing.· A hunt follower with a terrier sends it in after others try to divert the water.
VERB· Rachel has started packing up to leave, and I try to divert her with more coffee.· Elya must be furious with her, and she was trying to divert his attention.· A hunt follower with a terrier sends it in after others try to divert the water.· The flames were moving over 200 feet a minute, and all we could do was try to divert it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1to change the use of something such as time or moneydivert something into/to/(away) from etc something- But his banter was a way of distracting attention from the issue at hand.
- Combine roses with earlier or later flowering plants, and with evergreens to distract attention from their leafless stems in winter.
- It also distracted attention from the continued effects of racism.
- Lisa tells us it diverts attention from the pain.
- Police said the message was a decoy to distract attention from the real danger area.
- Such comments have distracted attention from a long-awaited improvement in the economy.
- The authorities are said to take the view that the Gulf war will distract attention from civilian casualties in Jaffna.
- They know how to make themselves look good, and they also know how to divert attention from the less flattering stories.
The company should divert more resources into research. Officials diverted revenue from arms sales to the rebels.2to change the direction in which something travelsdivert a river/footpath/road etc Canals divert water from the Truckee River into the lake. The high street is closed and traffic is being diverted.3if you divert your telephone calls, you arrange for them to go directly to another number, for example because you are not able to answer them yourself for some time: Remember to divert your phone when you are out of the office.4to deliberately take someone’s attention from something by making them think about or notice other thingsdivert (somebody’s) attention (away from somebody/something) The crime crackdown is an attempt to divert attention from social problems. He’d been trying to divert suspicion away from himself.5formal to amuse or entertain someone