Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of distracting, or the condition of being distracted.
  • noun Something that makes it difficult to pay attention or that draws attention away from familiar or everyday concerns.
  • noun Mental or emotional disturbance; agitation or confusion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In surgery, the act of pulling upon the segments of a limb so as to cause a separation of the opposing joint-surfaces.
  • noun The act of drawing or the state of being drawn apart; separation.
  • noun A drawing away of the mind from one point or course to another or others; diversion of thought or feeling into a different channel or toward different objects.
  • noun A drawing of the mind in different directions; mental confusion arising from diverse or opposing considerations; perplexity; bewilderment: as, the distraction caused by a multitude of questions or of cares.
  • noun Confusion of affairs; tumult; disorder: as, political distractions.
  • noun Violent mental excitement, or extreme agony of mind, simulating madness in its tendencies or outward exhibition; despairing perturbation: as, this toothache drives me to distraction.
  • noun A state of disordered reason; frenzy; insanity; madness.
  • noun A cause of diversion or of bewilderment, as of the attention or the mind; something that distracts, in any sense: as, the distractions of gayety or of business; labor is often a distraction from gloomy thoughts.
  • noun In Greek grammar, the dialectic or poetical use of two similar vowels identical in pronunciation, or differing only in quantity, for a single long vowel in the ordinary Greek form: as, φόως for φῶς, ὁρόω for ὁρῶ, κράατος for κρᾶτος,κληηδών for κληδών
  • noun In French-Canadian law, the divesting of the right to costs from the client or other person presumptively or ordinarily entitled, and the declaration of it to belong to the attorney, guardian, or other person equitably entitled.—
  • noun A confusing division or course; a misleading separation or detachment of parts.
  • noun Synonyms Derangement, aberration of mind, delirium, mania.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of distracting; a drawing apart; separation.
  • noun That which diverts attention; a diversion.
  • noun obsolete A diversity of direction; detachment.
  • noun State in which the attention is called in different ways; confusion; perplexity.
  • noun Confusion of affairs; tumult; disorder.
  • noun Agitation from violent emotions; perturbation of mind; despair.
  • noun Derangement of the mind; madness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Something that distracts.
  • noun The process of being distracted.
  • noun Perturbation; disorder; disturbance; confusion.
  • noun Mental disorder; a deranged state of mind; insanity.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun mental turmoil
  • noun an entertainment that provokes pleased interest and distracts you from worries and vexations
  • noun the act of distracting; drawing someone's attention away from something
  • noun an obstacle to attention

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

See to distract.

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Examples

  • BROWN: So Barack Obama is again hoping to get what he calls the distraction of Jeremiah Wright behind him.

    CNN Transcript Apr 29, 2008 2008

  • And right before that announcement finished, the police launched not just tear gas, but also what they call distraction devices, things that are designed to make a lot of noise.

    CNN Transcript Sep 3, 2008 2008

  • The key to keeping my opponent off his game is to control the game with what I call a distraction point.

    THE OFFICIAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS STRATEGY GUIDE DOUGLAS WALKER 2004

  • The key to keeping my opponent off his game is to control the game with what I call a distraction point.

    THE OFFICIAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS STRATEGY GUIDE DOUGLAS WALKER 2004

  • Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of "materialism, flashy self-promotion, and foolish carnality."

    Religion News Blog 2009

  • Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of "materialism, flashy self-promotion, and foolish carnality."

    WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 2009

  • Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of:

    Planet Atheism 2009

  • Regarding TNA, Cruise says he's not a fan of the six-sided ring, which he calls a distraction, and he's not a fan of TNA's wrestling content within the two-hour window on Thursday nights.

    PWTorch.com 2008

  • Only some people believe that a guy who called criticism "distraction" is a good guy.

    Clinton has big lead in Kentucky, Obama on top in Oregon 2008

  • I think distraction is the way the brain signals it needs to relax.

    Distracted Much? Don’t Worry, It’s A Good Thing | Lifehacker Australia 2009

Comments

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  • October 18, 2007

  • That image is fantastic, especially coming from a person who goes by 'uselessness'. Kudos.

    October 18, 2007

  • Absolutely perfect. I even have reading glasses perched on my nose.

    October 18, 2007

  • I agree - a fantastic image. The internet is only a quick click away & then you're gone.

    October 19, 2007