distract

distract
I. adjective Date: 14th century archaic insane, mad II. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw apart, from dis- + trahere to draw Date: 14th century 1. a. to turn aside ; divert <
refused to be distracted from her purpose
>
b. to draw or direct (as one's attention) to a different object or in different directions at the same time <
was distracted by a sudden noise
>
2. to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives Synonyms: see puzzledistractibility noundistractible also distractable adjectivedistractingly adverb

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Distract — Dis*tract , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Distracted}, old p. p. {Distraught}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Distracting}.] 1. To draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin. [1913 Webster] A city . . . distracted from itself. Fuller. [1913 Webster] 2. To draw (the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Distract — Dis*tract , a. [L. distractus, p. p. of distrahere to draw asunder; dis + trahere to draw. See {Trace}, and cf. {Distraught}.] 1. Separated; drawn asunder. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] Drayton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • distract — index bait (harass), confuse (bewilder), disorganize, disorient, disrupt, disturb, divert …   Law dictionary

  • distract — mid 14c., to draw asunder or apart, to turn aside (literal and figurative), from L. distractus, pp. of distrahere draw in different directions, from dis away (see DIS (Cf. dis )) + trahere to draw (see TRACT (Cf. tract) (1)). Sense of to throw… …   Etymology dictionary

  • distract — bewilder, nonplus, confound, dumbfound, mystify, perplex, *puzzle Analogous words: *confuse, muddle, addle, fuddle, befuddle: baffle, balk (see FRUSTRATE): agitate, upset, fluster, flurry, perturb, *discompose Antonyms: collect (one s thoughts,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • distract — [v] divert attention; confuse 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 …   New thesaurus

  • distract — ► VERB 1) prevent (someone) from giving their full attention to something. 2) divert (attention) from something. DERIVATIVES distracted adjective distracting adjective. ORIGIN Latin distrahere draw apart …   English terms dictionary

  • distract — [di strakt′] vt. [ME distracten < L distractus, pp. of distrahere, to draw apart < dis , apart + trahere, DRAW] 1. to draw (the mind, attention, etc.) away in another direction; divert 2. to draw in conflicting directions; create conflict… …   English World dictionary

  • distract */ — UK [dɪˈstrækt] / US verb [transitive] Word forms distract : present tense I/you/we/they distract he/she/it distracts present participle distracting past tense distracted past participle distracted to get someone s attention and prevent them from… …   English dictionary

  • distract — detract, distract Both words are used transitively (with an object) followed by from; but their meanings are different. Detract, which (more than distract) is also used without an object, means ‘to take away (a part of something), to diminish’: • …   Modern English usage

  • distract — dis|tract [ dı strækt ] verb transitive * to get someone s attention and prevent them from concentrating on something: She was distracted by the sound of running water. distract someone from something: We must let nothing distract us from our… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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