Meaning & Definition of Distract in English

Detailed Definitions

• Definition: To draw someone's attention away from something.

  Example Sentence: The loud noise from the construction site began to distract her from her studies.

• Definition: To divert attention or focus.

  Example Sentence: He tried to distract the audience with jokes while the technical issue was resolved.

Etymology

Origin: From Latin 'distrahere', meaning to pull apart.

Synonyms

Common Phrases and Expressions

• distract someone from: To cause someone to lose focus on a particular task or thought.
• easily distracted: Having difficulty maintaining attention.

Translations

• Spanish: distraer

• French: distracter

• German: ablenken

• Russian: отвлекать

Related Words

• distraction: The act of distracting or the state of being distracted.

• distracted: Unable to concentrate because of attention drawn away.

Slang Meanings of distract

• Meaning: To zone out

  Example Sentence: I was zoning out while the lecture was going on.

• Meaning: To blank out

  Example Sentence: I totally blanked out during the meeting because my phone kept buzzing.