English Lexicon

Distract

/dɪˈstrækt/
verbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To prevent someone from giving full attention to something.

    "The loud music distracted her from studying for the exam."
  2. 2

    To divert attention from one thing to another.

    "He tried to distract the audience with jokes during the serious presentation."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'distract' originates from the Latin 'distrahere', meaning 'to pull apart'. It evolved through Middle English, where it was used to describe the act of diverting attention or focus from one thing to another.

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