diverted; diverting; diverts
: to turn aside : deviate
studied law but diverted to diplomacy
1
2
: to give pleasure to especially by distracting the attention from what burdens or distresses
children diverting themselves with their toys
Examples of divert in a Sentence
Police diverted traffic to a side street.
The stream was diverted toward the farmland.
They were charged with illegally diverting public funds for private use.
He lied to divert attention from the real situation.
They're only proposing the law to divert attention from important issues.
Recent Examples on the Web
Created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Prevent tries to intervene in the lives of people suspected of being vulnerable to radicalization, with the hope of diverting them from possible terrorism.
—
Megan Specia, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Three planes were diverted away from Kazan while the restrictions were in place, the airport said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 20 Jan. 2025
Such data builds a case by showing how the driver's attention may have been diverted.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
Some of it was recorded inside planes flying nearby, and many flights were diverted around the debris field, or delayed until all the fragments touched down.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for divert 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Megan Specia, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Three planes were diverted away from Kazan while the restrictions were in place, the airport said.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 20 Jan. 2025
Such data builds a case by showing how the driver's attention may have been diverted.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
Some of it was recorded inside planes flying nearby, and many flights were diverted around the debris field, or delayed until all the fragments touched down.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for divert
Dictionary Entries Near divert
Cite this Entry
“Divert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divert. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
divert
transitive verb
di·vert
də-ˈvərt, dī- 
1
: to turn from one course or use to another
funds illegally diverted
2
: to place (a defendant) under a diversion
diverter
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share