divert/distract attention
idiom
: to try to keep people from noticing or thinking about something
He was trying to divert/distract attention away from his friend's mistake.
Examples of divert/distract attention in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The tendency to divert attention away from distressing thoughts or feelings.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Twenty, thirty or forty million dollars will allow a fella to divert attention from his own mistakes and celebrate his substantial accomplishments.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2025
The protests were deliberately scheduled for June 14 to divert attention away from the military parade in Washington, D.C. scheduled to take place on the same date, the group said on the site.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 June 2025
Critics say the Saudi government’s support of esports is meant to divert attention away from its record of domestic repression.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for divert/distract attention
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Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
Twenty, thirty or forty million dollars will allow a fella to divert attention from his own mistakes and celebrate his substantial accomplishments.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2025
The protests were deliberately scheduled for June 14 to divert attention away from the military parade in Washington, D.C. scheduled to take place on the same date, the group said on the site.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 June 2025
Critics say the Saudi government’s support of esports is meant to divert attention away from its record of domestic repression.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for divert/distract attention
Cite this Entry
“Divert/distract attention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divert%2Fdistract%20attention. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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