Definitions for distract
dɪˈstræktdis·tract

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. distract, deflectverb

   draw someone's attention away from something

   "The thief distracted the bystanders"; "He deflected his competitors"

2. perturb, unhinge, disquiet, trouble, cark, distract, disorderverb

   disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed

   "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill"

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. distractverb

   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.

2. Etymology: From distrahere, from dis- + trahere.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To DISTRACTverb

   part. pass. destracted; anciently destraught.

   Etymology: distractus, Latin.

   1. To pull different ways at once.2. To separate; to divide.

   By sea, by sea.
   —— Most worthy sir, you therein throw away
   The absolute soldiership you have by land;
   Distract your army, which doth most consist
   Of war-mark’d footmen. William Shakespeare, Anthony and Cleopatra.

   3. To turn from a single direction towards various points.

   If he cannot wholly avoid the eye of the observer, he hopes to distract it by a multiplicity of the object. Robert South, Sermons.

   4. To fill the mind with contrary considerations; to perplex; to confound; to harrass.

   While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. Ps. lxxxviii. 15.

   Come, cousin, can’st thou quake, and change thy colour,
   Murther thy breath in middle of a word,
   And then again begin, and stop again,
   As if thou wert distraught and mad with terror? William Shakespeare, R. III.

   It would burst forth; but I recover breath,
   And sense distract, to know well what I utter. John Milton, Agonist.

   He possesses a quiet and cheerful mind, not afflicted with violent passions, or distracted with immoderate cares. John Ray.

   If our sense of hearing were a thousand times quicker than it is, how would a perpetual noise distract us? We should, in the quietest retirement, be less able to sleep or meditate than in the middle of a sea-fight. John Locke.

   5. To make mad.

   Wherefore throng you hither?
   ———— To fetch my poor distracted husband hence:
   Let us come in, that we may bind him fast,
   And bear him home for his recovery. William Shakespeare, Com. of Err.

   Better I were distract,
   So should my thoughts be sever’d from my griefs,
   And woes, by wrong imagination, lose
   The knowledge of themselves. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   She was unable, in strength of mind, to bear the grief of his decease, and fell distracted of her wits. Francis Bacon, Hen. VII.

   You shall find a distracted man fancy himself a king, and with a right inference require suitable attendance, respect, and obedience. John Locke.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. distract

   Distraction is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention. Distractions come from both external sources, and internal sources. External distractions include factors such as visual triggers, social interactions, music, text messages, and phone calls. There are also internal distractions such as hunger, fatigue, illness, worrying, and daydreaming. Both external and internal distractions contribute to the interference of focus.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. distract

   Distract refers to drawing someone's attention away from the task at hand or diverting their focus from a particular activity or subject, usually causing them to lose concentration. It could also imply causing someone to feel anxious or vaguely troubled about something.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Distractadjective

   separated; drawn asunder

2. Distractadjective

   insane; mad

3. Distractverb

   to draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin

4. Distractverb

   to draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention

5. Distractverb

   to agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass

6. Distractverb

   to unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted

7. Etymology: [L. distractus, p. p. of distrahere to draw asunder; dis- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and cf. Distraught.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Distract

   dis-trakt′, v.t. to draw in different directions—applied to the mind or attention: to confuse: to harass: to render crazy: to divert.—adj. Distract′ed.—adv. Distract′edly.—n. Distract′edness.—adjs. Distract′ible; Distract′ile (bot.), carried widely apart.—n. Distrac′tion, state of being distracted: perplexity: agitation: madness: a diversion.—adj. Distract′ive, causing perplexity.

How to pronounce distract?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say distract in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of distract in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of distract in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of distract in a Sentence

1. Sara Norman:

   In other words, this is a manufactured culture war issue designed to fire up the Republican base, and distract them from the Republican Party's deeply unpopular agenda — from cutting taxes on billionaires, to banning abortion, to overturning elections that they lose.

2. Thierry Henry:

   I am taking this opportunity to announce that unfortunately Saturday was my last game for Red Bulls, the decision has always been that I would leave after the duration of my contract and although that was never going to change, I didn't want it to distract from the progress of the team.

3. Steve McCraw:

   Three minutes after the suspect entered the west building, there was a sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to isolate, distract and neutralize the subject, the only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering Room 111, and 112, was the on-scene commander, who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.

4. Bradley Beychok:

   This has given us an issue that is unifying across all walks of life, trump's superpower is distraction. You can't distract from this.

5. Bill Cassidy:

   People are using it to gin up their base to distract from disastrous policies in Afghanistan, maybe for fundraising appeals.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=distract
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Distract
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=distract
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distract
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distract
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=distract