Word
divert
Meanings
To change the direction or route of something, especially traffic, a vehicle, or a flow of people or goods.
To draw attention away from something, usually by creating a distraction.
To redirect money, time, or resources from one use to another.
Definition
To divert means to redirect something or someone away from its original course or purpose.
To divert is to change the direction of movement, attention, or resources from one path to another. You can divert traffic to a different road, divert funds to a new project, or divert someone’s attention with a distraction. It often implies an intentional shift away from the expected route or plan.
Examples
- The police had to divert traffic through side streets after the storm damaged the bridge.
- I tried to divert his attention from the awkward question by changing the topic.
- The director chose to divert more staff to customer support during the product launch.
- To avoid delays, you should divert to the ring road if the motorway is congested.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse divert with avert: divert means redirecting to another place or focus, while avert means preventing something undesirable.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.