distract
/dis'trækt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
The teacher asks the student to put away his phone so it does not distract the class.
Definition
- Verb:
- To draw someone's attention away from something: To cause someone to stop concentrating on what they are doing or thinking about by making them look at or think about something else.
- To disturb or trouble the mind of someone; to make someone feel anxious or uneasy: To agitate or unsettle someone mentally.
Usage
- The primary meaning is to divert attention. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (e.g., distract or distract ).
- The secondary meaning of causing mental disturbance or agitation is less common in modern usage but still valid, often seen in formal or literary contexts.
Examples
Diverting Attention:
- Loud noises can distract a driver and cause an accident.
- She put her phone in another room to avoid anything that might distract her from studying.
- The magician distracted the audience with his left hand while performing the trick with his right.
Causing Mental Disturbance (less common):
- He was distracted by grief after the loss. (Here, "distracted" means deeply troubled or unable to think clearly due to emotion.)
- The alarming news distracted the entire community.
Advanced Usage
- "To distract from": This common construction specifies what the attention is being drawn away from.
- The bright decorations were meant to distract from the plain walls.
- Past Participle as Adjective ("distracted"): Often used to describe a state of being unable to concentrate because one's mind is preoccupied or divided.
- She seemed distracted during the meeting, checking her watch frequently.
Variants and Related Words
- Distraction (noun):
- The construction noise was a constant distraction. (Something that distracts)
- He sought distraction in books. (A diversion or amusement)
- Distracted (adjective): Unable to concentrate.
- Distractible (adjective): Easily distracted.
Synonyms
- Divert: To cause someone or something to change course or attention.
- Sidetrack: To divert from a main issue or course.
- Preoccupy: To dominate or engross the mind of someone to the exclusion of other thoughts.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
- Distract someone/something from something: The standard pattern for indicating the source of attention.
- Can you distract him from his work for a moment? I need to speak with you.
Related Idioms
- Drive someone to distraction: To annoy or irritate someone intensely.
- The constant buzzing of the fly was driving me to distraction.
- A welcome distraction: Something that pleasantly takes your mind off problems or boring tasks.
- The visit from my friend was a welcome distraction from my paperwork.
The teacher asks the student to put away his phone so it does not distract the class.
Verb
- 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
- draw someone's attention away from something
- The thief distracted the bystanders
- He deflected his competitors