distract
English · Thesaurus
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distract
- /dɪˈstɹækt/
Rhymes with -ækt
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).
verb distracts · distracting · distracted
-
To divert the attention of.
The crowd was distracted by a helicopter hovering over the stadium when the only goal of the game was scored.
Similar: sidetrack
- To 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.
- To 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.
adjective
- Drawn asunder; separated.
- Insane, mad. 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: deflect, disorder, trouble, perturb, disquiet, cark, draw away, unhinge, divert, disrupt, detract, deter, dissuade, mess, deviate, obscure
Translations
Talk about this word "distract." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/distract. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. distract. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/distract "distract." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/distract.Cite this
@misc{distract_2026,
title = {distract},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/distract},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
