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
