Antonyms for distract
| Grammar : Verb |
| Spell : dih-strakt |
| Phonetic Transcription : dɪˈstrækt |
Definition of distract
Origin :- mid-14c., "to draw asunder or apart, to turn aside" (literal and figurative), from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).
- Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act" is from 1580s. Related: Distracted; distracting; distractedly; distractedness.
- verb divert attention; confuse
- He hoped to distract her from such grief over her predicament.
- Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana
- Recently so many things had arisen to distract her attention.
- Extract from : « Her Father's Daughter » by Gene Stratton-Porter
- And then Steve Yerden is enough to distract a leather-man, any way.
- Extract from : « Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 2. » by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
- I do not want to distract his mind from his lessons, and I wish to be quite sure first.
- Extract from : « Great Uncle Hoot-Toot » by Mrs. Molesworth
- With an effort, recovering, she sought to distract the girl.
- Extract from : « Nobody » by Louis Joseph Vance
- I saw she was deep in thought, and was careful not to disturb or distract her.
- Extract from : « That Boy Of Norcott's » by Charles James Lever
- Happily this danger will distract me, or these emotions would make me dizzy.
- Extract from : « A Romance of the West Indies » by Eugne Sue
- To distract her attention, instantly Jones improvised a limerick.
- Extract from : « The Paliser case » by Edgar Saltus
- Stroeve could not bear to be alone, and I exhausted myself in efforts to distract him.
- Extract from : « The Moon and Sixpence » by W. Somerset Maugham
- As long as there is plenty of flimflam to distract the viewer.
- Extract from : « Toy Shop » by Henry Maxwell Dempsey
Synonyms for distract
- abstract
- addle
- agitate
- amuse
- befuddle
- beguile
- bewilder
- call away
- catch flies
- confound
- derange
- detract
- discompose
- disconcert
- disturb
- divert
- draw away
- engross
- entertain
- fluster
- frenzy
- harass
- lead astray
- lead away
- madden
- mislead
- mix up
- occupy
- perplex
- puzzle
- sidetrack
- stall
- throw off
- torment
- trouble
- turn aside
- unbalance
- unhinge
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019