distract
1 of 2verb
transitive verb
distract
2 of 2adjective
Synonyms
Verb
- abstract
- call off
- detract
- divert
- throw off
Example Sentences
Andrew Restuccia, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2022 Dave Chappelle does not want the audience member who assaulted him onstage to distract from his history-making run at the Hollywood Bowl. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 May 2022 Which are all necessary to distract from such toothless inside-baseball Hollywood satire, such witless, outdated pandemic observation and the sheer Saharan humor desert that is the dialogue. Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2022 Smith does his absolute best to wring a little fun out of his character, dancing around in smoking jackets and throwing himself into every action scene with aplomb, but it’s not enough to distract from the overall dour tone. David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2022 Ukrainian officials denounced the proposal as propaganda, and said it was meant to distract attention from the Russian shelling of areas where civilians are trying to flee. New York Times, 7 Mar. 2022 Then, an even more awkward situation happens to distract from that awkward situation. Nick Romano, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2022 At that point, firefighters used a white sheet to distract the deer while two others on ladders attempted to free the wild animal. John Benson, cleveland, 2 Sep. 2022 But those things aren’t necessarily identical, and Blumberg argues that equating them could distract us from understanding the role of REM sleep. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Verb
Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw apart, from dis- + trahere to draw
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing distract
Kids Definition
distract
verb
distract
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- divert
- detract
- amuse
- abstract
- throw off
- entertain
- stray
- call off
- wander
- beguile
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- focus
- concentrate
Synonyms & Similar Words
- disturb
- bother
- worry
- concern
- alarm
- unsettle
- agitate
- annoy
- anger
- derail
- irritate
- haunt
- distress
- confuse
- perturb
- upset
- plague
- embarrass
- unhinge
- discomfort
- undo
- exercise
- discompose
- dismay
- flurry
- rattle
- ail
- frazzle
- disquiet
- aggravate
- harass
- exasperate
- discourage
- pester
- rile
- fuss
- irk
- weird out
- distemper
- bedevil
- vex
- hagride
- fluster
- get
- alarum
- pique
- disconcert
- confound
- bug
- unnerve
- harry
- peeve
- fret
- discomfit
- mortify
- dishearten
- put out
- demoralize
- freak (out)
- put off
- dispirit
- chivvy
- chafe
- faze
- grate
- gall
- daunt
- chivy
- nettle
- shake up
- discountenance
- abash
- nonplus
- jar
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- soothe
- settle
- alleviate
- calm
- compose
- allay
- quiet
- assuage
- placate
- appease
- tranquilize
- pacify
- mollify
- tranquillize
- conciliate
- propitiate
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of distract are bewilder, confound, dumbfound, nonplus, perplex, and puzzle. While all these words mean "to baffle and disturb mentally," distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.
While in some cases nearly identical to distract, bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.
Although the words confound and distract have much in common, confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.
The synonyms dumbfound and distract are sometimes interchangeable, but dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.
In some situations, the words nonplus and distract are roughly equivalent. However, nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.
While the synonyms perplex and distract are close in meaning, perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.
The meanings of puzzle and distract largely overlap; however, puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.