Synonyms for distract
dɪˈstræktdis·tract

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.4 / 5 votes

1. distractverb

   The central idea of withdrawing makes abstract in common speech a euphemism for appropriate (unlawfully), purloin, steal. In mental processes we discriminate between objects by distinguishing their differences; we separate some one element from all that does not necessarily belong to it, abstract it, and view it alone. We may separate two ideas, and hold both in mind in comparison or contrast; but when we abstract one of them, we drop the other out of thought. The mind is abstracted when it is withdrawn from all other subjects and concentrated upon one, diverted when it is drawn away from what it would or should attend to by some other interest, distracted when the attention is divided among different subjects, so that it can not be given properly to any. The trouble with the distracted person is that he is not abstracted. Compare DISCERN.

   Synonyms:
   abstract, appropriate, detach, discriminate, distinguish, divert, eliminate, purloin, remove, separate, steal, take away, withdraw

   Antonyms:
   add, combine, complete, conjoin, fill up, increase, restore, strengthen, unite

   Preposition:
   The purse may be abstracted from the pocket; the substance from the accidents; a book into a compend.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:1.7 / 3 votes

1. distract

   Synonyms:
   divide, dissipate, dissever, disconcert, discompose, perplex, bewilder, convulse, madden, disturb

   Antonyms:
   unite, fix, concentrate, collect, compose

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. distract, deflectverb

   draw someone's attention away from something

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

   Synonyms:
   forfend, unhinge, disorder, avert, ward off, disquiet, bend, obviate, perturb, fend off, stave off, block, debar, avoid, head off, forefend, parry, trouble, turn away, deflect, cark

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"

   Synonyms:
   unhinge, disorder, perturb, inconvenience oneself, upset, inconvenience, ail, discommode, disquiet, bother, cark, deflect, put out, incommode, disoblige, pain, disarray, throw out of kilter, trouble, disturb, trouble oneself, derange

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. distractverb

   Synonyms:
   perplex, confuse, discompose, harass, disturb, disconcert, bewilder, confound, mystify, embarrass

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "distract":

   divert, deflect, amuse, entertain, hijack, detract

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How to use distract in a sentence?

1. Katie Vincentz:

   The refusal by the New York State Democratic Party to tackle the issues of crime and the economy is exactly why our state is leading the country in population loss, hochul and her pathetic henchmen are desperate to distract away from all of the ways they are destroying New York.

2. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff:

   The problem The House impeachment managers have is The House impeachment managers don't want to talk about the evidence, you know as a prosecutor I've seen it time and time again -- when your client is guilty, when your client is dead to rights you don't want to talk about your clients guilt, you want to attack the prosecution. It is a fairly elemental strategy. And I think that's all you're see here is that effort to distract.

3. Jessica Vaughan:

   It certainly appears that the agency is trying to distract from that misconduct by puffing up this incident into an award nomination, the agency leaders appear to believe that egregious poor judgment and a serious act of obstruction can be canceled out by another good deed. It doesn’t work that way.

4. Elizabeth Eaton:

   Denouncing this outrage cannot, however, distract us from the deep wounds of structural racism and white supremacy that have been reopened by the killing of George Floyd.

5. David Payne:

   The Ted Cruz campaign said in response to Manafort's comments : The Cruz campaign's no surprise that Trump's team will lash out with falsehoods when facing a loss to distract from their failure. … We have earned our success by working hard to build a superior organization and are working within the process and rules. Anticipating a fight for every delegate, Ted Cruz was campaigning Monday in California, which holds a delegate-rich primary on June 7. David Payne, a Republican strategist and Vox Global partner, suggested on Monday that Cruz’s efforts to win delegate support will be indispensable if Donald Trump fails to get to 1,237 delegates -- as the candidates would have to compete for them during balloting at an open convention in July. Ted Cruz will be on familiar turf, consider that Ted Cruz is likely to win a handful of the remaining winner-take-all states … coupled with proportional delegate wins for Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz and John Kasich, this makes it mathematically difficult for Donald Trump to win the nomination according to the current convention rules.