distract
Americanverb (used with object)
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to draw away or divert, as the mind or attention.
The music distracted him from his work.
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to disturb or trouble greatly in mind; beset.
Grief distracted him.
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to provide a pleasant diversion for; amuse; entertain.
I'm bored with bridge, but golf still distracts me.
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to separate or divide by dissension or strife.
adjective
verb
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(often passive) to draw the attention of (a person) away from something
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to divide or confuse the attention of (a person)
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to amuse or entertain
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to trouble greatly
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to make mad
Other Word Forms
- distracter noun
- distractibility noun
- distractible adjective
- distracting adjective
- distractingly adverb
- distractive adjective
- distractively adverb
- nondistracting adjective
- nondistractingly adverb
- undistracting adjective
- undistractingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of distract
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin distractus “drawn apart,” past participle of distrahere “to draw apart,” from dis- dis- 1 + trahere “to draw”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Don’t let these comments distract you from securing a consistent paycheck.
From MarketWatch
Ironically, because the shows are on her phone, she says there is no other device to distract her.
From BBC
Fellow lodgers at his New York City boardinghouse worried as the typically cheerful, young Fairbanks grew gloomy and distracted.
From Literature
Handsome would have been distracted by his hand mirror long before Duane talked about the merits of listening and paying attention to whom you are addressing.
From Literature
But she said the resolution includes "language that is likely to distract" from diplomatic efforts to end the war rather than support them.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
