Meanings
present singular third person distracts · participle present distracting · participle past distracted · past distracted
- transitiveTo divert the attention of.
The crowd was distracted by a helicopter hovering over the stadium when the only goal of the game was scored.
3 more examples
While Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had warned his players against letting the pre-match festivities distract them from the task at hand, they clearly struggled for fluency early on.
2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1-0 Everton”, in BBC SportEven without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55I eschew the idea of plugging in my laptop to take notes and resort to old-fashioned pen and paper instead, so that I can enjoy more of the view and not be distracted by bashing a keyboard.
2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 65Synonyms: sidetrack
- transitiveTo divert (attention).
It is recorded in the Talmud that there was no water organ [...] at the Temple, because of its sweet and powerful voice which was able to distract attention from the traditional instruments.
1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 14 - transitiveTo make crazy or insane; to drive to distraction.
By Heav’ns, ſuch Virtues, join’d with ſuch Succeſs, Diſtract my very Soul: Our Father’s Fortune Wou’d almoſt tempt us to renounce his Precepts.
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2
- not comparableobsoleteInsane, mad.
Alone ſhee beeing left the ſpoyle of loue and death, / In labour of her griefe outrageouſly diſtract, / The utmoſt of her ſpleene on her falſe Lord to act […]
1612, Michael Drayton, “The Sixt Song”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC, page 901 more example
Ol[ivia]. […] Fetch Maluolio hither, / And yet alas, novv I remember me, / They ſay poore Gentleman, he's much diſtract. […] Did he vvrite this? / Clo[wn]. I [aye] Madame. / Du[ke Orsino]. This ſauours not much of diſtraction.
c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 274, column 2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo divert the attention of.
More synonyms by meaning
verbdisturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindistractus
- Englishdistract
Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أَلْهَى
- أَلْهَى (ʔalhā)To divert the attention of
Bulgarian отвличам, разсейвам
- отвличам (otvličam)To divert the attention of
- разсейвам (razsejvam)To divert the attention of
Catalan distreure
- distreureTo divert the attention of
Chinese Mandarin 分心
- 分心 (fēnxīn)To divert the attention of
Danish aflede, distrahere
- afledeTo divert the attention of
- distrahereTo divert the attention of
Dutch afleiden
- afleidenTo divert the attention of
Esperanto distri
- distriTo divert the attention of
Finnish harhauttaa
- harhauttaaTo divert the attention of
French distraire
- distraireTo divert the attention of
German ablenken
- ablenkenTo divert the attention of
Hebrew הסיח את הדעת
- הסיח את הדעת (hisíakh et hadá'at)To divert the attention of
Icelandic fipa
- fipaTo divert the attention of
Italian distrarre
- distrarreTo divert the attention of
Japanese 気をそらす
- 気をそらす (ki-o sorasu)To divert the attention of
Latin distrahō, distringō
- distrahōTo divert the attention of
- distringōTo divert the attention of
Māori wawao, whakawarea
- wawaoTo divert the attention of
- whakawareaTo divert the attention of
Norwegian distrahere
- distrahereTo divert the attention of
Polish rozpraszać, rozproszyć
- rozpraszaćTo divert the attention of
- rozproszyćTo divert the attention of
Portuguese distrair
- distrairTo divert the attention of
Russian отвлека́ть, отвле́чь
- отвлека́ть (otvlekátʹ)To divert the attention of
- отвле́чь (otvléčʹ)To divert the attention of
Slovak rozptyľovať, rozptýliť
- rozptyľovaťTo divert the attention of
- rozptýliťTo divert the attention of
Spanish distraer, despistar
- distraerTo divert the attention of
- despistarTo divert the attention of
Swedish distrahera
- distraheraTo divert the attention of
Turkish dikkati dağıtmak
- dikkati dağıtmakTo divert the attention of
Ukrainian відволікати, відволікти
- відволікати (vidvolikaty)To divert the attention of
- відволікти (vidvolikty)To divert the attention of
Welsh gwrthdynnu
- gwrthdynnuTo divert the attention of
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with distract
Cite this entry
distract. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distract
“distract.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distract. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “distract,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distract.
Source: distract on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.