Definitions for: Distract


[v] 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"
[v] draw someone's attention away from something; "The thief distracted the bystanders"; "He deflected his competitors"



Webster (1913) Definition: 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.]

2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] --Drayton.


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.

A city . . . distracted from itself. --Fuller.

2. To draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different
directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the
eye; to distract the attention.

Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination.
--Goldsmith.

3. To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of
motives or of cares; to confound; to harass.

Horror and doubt distract His troubled thoughts.
--Milton.

4. To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to
madden; -- most frequently used in the participle,
distracted.

A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her.
--Shak.

Synonyms: cark, deflect, disorder, disquiet, perturb, trouble, unhinge

See Also: confuse, disconcert, disturb, flurry, put off, upset, vex, worry

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