Distract

/dɪˈstrækt/

Meaning & Definition

verb

To divert attention from something.

The loud music can easily distract me from my studies.

To take someone's focus away from something important.

His constant talking seemed to distract the students during the lecture.

To make someone unable to think or concentrate.

The bright lights were designed to distract the audience from the stage.

To cause someone to pay attention to something else.

She tried to distract her friend from worrying about the exam results.

To split one's concentration or focus.

Being on social media can distract you from completing your work efficiently.

From Latin 'distrahere', meaning to pull apart.

distract someone from

To cause someone to lose focus on a particular task or thought.

easily distracted

Having difficulty maintaining attention.

distraction

The act of distracting or the state of being distracted.

distracted

Unable to concentrate because of attention drawn away.

To zone out

I was zoning out while the lecture was going on.

To blank out

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