distract
VerbWordNet 3.0
Verb (2)
- draw someone's attention away from something“The thief distracted the bystanders”“He deflected his competitors”Synonyms: deflect
- disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed“She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill”Synonyms: perturbunhingedisquiettroublecarkdisorder
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
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]
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 sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention. [1913 Webster]
Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination.— Goldsmith.[1913 Webster]
3.To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass. [1913 Webster]
Horror and doubt distract His troubled thoughts.— Milton.[1913 Webster]
4.To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted. [1913 Webster]
A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her.— Shak.[1913 Webster]