distract
pronunciation
How to pronounce distract in British English:
UK [dɪˈstrækt]
How to pronounce distract in American English:
US [dɪˈstrækt]
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- Verb:
- draw someone's attention away from something
- disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
Word Origin
- distract (v.)
- mid-14c., "to draw asunder or apart, to turn aside" (literal and figurative), from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)). Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act" is from 1580s. Related: Distracted; distracting; distractedly; distractedness.
Antonym
Example
- 1. It 's easier to distract yourself when running outside .
- 2. Bubbles tend to distract attention from such long-term trends .
- 3. But does grunting distract an opponent ?
- 4. There is no third party to distract people .
- 5. Not supposed to distract you ?