Definition

1. 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.

Verb

1. 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
2. draw someone's attention away from something
   • The thief distracted the bystanders
   • He deflected his competitors