Dictionary

distract en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /dɪˈstɹækt/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).

Meanings

1. (not-comparable, obsolete) Drawn asunder; separated.
2. (not-comparable, obsolete) Insane, mad.
   • Alone ſhee beeing left the ſpoyle of loue and death, / In labour of her griefe outrageouſly diſtract, / The utmoſt of her ſpleene on her falſe Lord to act […] 1612, Michael Drayton, “The Sixt Song”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC, page 90:
   • Ol[ivia]. […] Fetch Maluolio hither, / And yet alas, novv I remember me, / They ſay poore Gentleman, he's much diſtract. […] Did he vvrite this? / Clo[wn]. I [aye] Madame. / Du[ke Orsino]. This ſauours not much of diſtraction. c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 274, column 2:

Relateds

distraught

distract en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /dɪˈstɹækt/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin distractus, from distrahō (“to pull apart”), from dis- + trahō (“to pull”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To divert the attention of.
   • The crowd was distracted by a helicopter hovering over the stadium when the only goal of the game was scored.
   • While Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had warned his players against letting the pre-match festivities distract them from the task at hand, they clearly struggled for fluency early on. 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1-0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:
   • I eschew the idea of plugging in my laptop to take notes and resort to old-fashioned pen and paper instead, so that I can enjoy more of the view and not be distracted by bashing a keyboard. 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 65:
   • Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee. 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
2. (transitive) To divert (attention).
   • It is recorded in the Talmud that there was no water organ [...] at the Temple, because of its sweet and powerful voice which was able to distract attention from the traditional instruments. 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 14:
3. (transitive) To make crazy or insane; to drive to distraction.
   • By Heav’ns, ſuch Virtues, join’d with ſuch Succeſs, Diſtract my very Soul: Our Father’s Fortune Wou’d almoſt tempt us to renounce his Precepts. 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:

Forms

Deriveds

distractor · distractee · distractful · distractive · distracter · distractable

Relateds

distraction · distracting · distractible · distracted

Synonyms

sidetrack

Translations (47)

ja 気をそらす (To divert the attention of) · gl distraer (To divert the attention of) · nl afleiden (To divert the attention of) · pl rozpraszać (To divert the attention of) · ast distrayer (To divert the attention of) · sq Huto (To divert the attention of) · ca distreure (To divert the attention of) · mi whakawarea (To divert the attention of) · uk відволікати (To divert the attention of) · uk відволікти (To divert the attention of) · cmn 分心 (To divert the attention of) · fi harhauttaa (To divert the attention of) · ru отвле́чь (To divert the attention of) · bg отвличам (To divert the attention of) · da distrahere (To divert the attention of) · he הסיח את הדעת (To divert the attention of) · hy ուշադրությունը շեղել (To divert the attention of) · ar أَلْهَى (To divert the attention of) · no distrahere (To divert the attention of) · hy շեղել (To divert the attention of) · fr distraire (To divert the attention of) · bg разсейвам (To divert the attention of) · da aflede (To divert the attention of) · pt distrair (To divert the attention of) · is fipa (To divert the attention of) · la distringō (To divert the attention of) · es distraer (To divert the attention of) · sk rozptyľovať (To divert the attention of) · az fikrini yayındırmaq (To divert the attention of) · la distrahō (To divert the attention of) · be адцягнуць (To divert the attention of) · pl rozproszyć (To divert the attention of) · cy gwrthdynnu (To divert the attention of) · mi wawao (To divert the attention of) · ru отвлека́ть (To divert the attention of) · it distrarre (To divert the attention of) · de ablenken (To divert the attention of) · sk rozptýliť (To divert the attention of) · es despistar (To divert the attention of) · io distraktar (To divert the attention of) · be адцягваць (To divert the attention of) · oc distraire (To divert the attention of) · tr dikkati dağıtmak (To divert the attention of) · eo distri (To divert the attention of) · io amuzar (To divert the attention of) · az diqqətini yayındırmaq (To divert the attention of) · sv distrahera (To divert the attention of)