diversionnoun
uk/daɪˈvɜː.ʃən/us/dɪˈvɝː.ʃən/diversion noun (CHANGE OF DIRECTION)
[ C ] UK US detour a different route that is used because a road is closed:
Traffic diversions will be kept to a minimum throughout the festival.
[ C or U ] the fact of something being sent somewhere different from where it was originally intended to go:
the diversion of money to other projects
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Changing direction
- about-turn
- bear
- branch off
- branch off sth
- decoy
- deflect
- deflection
- divert
- glance
- glance off (sth)
- head
- head sb/sth off
- oscillate
- peaked
- sheer
- slew 1
- turn
- U-turn
- veer
- yo-yo
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diversion noun (TAKING ATTENTION)
[ C ] something that takes your attention away from something else:
Shoplifters often work in pairs, with one creating a diversion to distract the staff while the other steals the goods.
[ C ] formal an activity you do for entertainment:
Reading is a pleasant diversion.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Creating a distraction
- distract
- distraction
- divert
- escape
- mind
- put
- put sb off (sth)
- put sb off their stride idiom
- put sb off their stride/stroke idiom
- sidetrack
- smoke and mirrors
- stride
- subject
- take
- take sb out of himself/herself
- take sb's mind off sth idiom
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Cancelling and interrupting
diversionary
adjective uk/daɪˈvɜː.ʃən.ər.i/us/dɪˈvɝː.ʃən.er.i/
The proposal was dismissed as a diversionary tactic intended to distract attention from the real problems.