diverge

verb

də-ˈvərj How to pronounce diverge (audio)
Definition of divergenext
1
as in to deviate
to change one's course or direction the deer abruptly diverged from its intended path the moment it spied the waiting lynx

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to separate
to go or move in different directions from a central point at that point the road and the railroad tracks diverge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb diverge contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of diverge are depart, deviate, digress, swerve, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When is depart a more appropriate choice than diverge?

The words depart and diverge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

In what contexts can deviate take the place of diverge?

Although the words deviate and diverge have much in common, deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When can digress be used instead of diverge?

In some situations, the words digress and diverge are roughly equivalent. However, digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

Where would swerve be a reasonable alternative to diverge?

The words swerve and diverge can be used in similar contexts, but swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

When could veer be used to replace diverge?

The synonyms veer and diverge are sometimes interchangeable, but veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of diverge The adaptation already diverges in extreme ways (for one, the original is set in 1975 New Jersey, while the series is in 2018 Los Angeles). —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 May 2025 Yet the effects of that debt diverge sharply across employment types, with private sector workers reporting more enduring financial stress, even post-repayment. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025 Trump is diverging from U.S. presidential habit by choosing the Middle East, not Canada or Mexico, for the first foreign trip of his second term. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 14 May 2025 Polling shows that Americans generally oppose the idea of reparations, though views diverge among racial groups. —Laurel Rosenhall, New York Times, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for diverge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diverge
  1. deviate
  2. separate
  3. turn
  4. divide
  5. part
  6. spread
  7. fork
  8. retreat
Verb
  • No one deviates, because no one has an incentive to, unless someone changes the underlying payoff structure.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Like Episode 3 of Season 1, Sunday’s installment of the series was the rare episode that deviated from the game’s narrative to tell a deeper story about the characters.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Definition of deviate
Verb
  • The couples who were separated in the show — like Jack and Kate, Desmond and Penny and Sawyer and Juliet — all reunited in those flashes.
    — Julie Tremaine, People.com, 23 May 2025
  • The two are separated by an Interstate 95 overpass and the complex intersection of South Miami Avenue, South Dixie Highway, Brickell Avenue and Southwest 26th Road.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 23 May 2025
Definition of separate
Verb
  • At Christian Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri worked to turn a legacy house into a home.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 29 May 2025
  • The model, who turns 18 on May 29, 2025, made her runway debut in 2023 Comments Zaya Wade is one stylish teenager!
    — Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 29 May 2025
Definition of turn
Verb
  • Divided Society Finally, the uneven distribution of access to and benefits from humanoid technology could divide society even further.
    — Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
  • These changes, called genetic mutations, cause bone marrow cells to grow and divide too quickly.11 Experts don’t fully understand why these genetic mutations happen.
    — Health, Health, 24 May 2025
Definition of divide
Verb
  • Sitting cross-legged on the floor while her scalp was parted and pulled by a cousin, an auntie, someone who loved her.
    — Ruhama Wolle, Vogue, 22 May 2025
  • The crowd parted, and a tiny woman with a big smile emerged.
    — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2025
Definition of part
Verb
  • But some storefronts have shuttered as fear has spread, said Marie Jean-Francois, 45, one business owner there.
    — Mark Bonamo, New York Times, 1 June 2025
  • That’s the message that national weather forecasters, emergency management directors and public officials also are spreading as this year’s Atlantic hurricane season starts today and continues through Nov. 30.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025
Definition of spread
Verb
  • That means every time employers pay rent, they’re also forced to fork over a chunk of change to the state government.
    — Scott Shalley, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2025
  • In one of the forking paths viewers could choose, a newspaper article reveals that Kimberly and Burke were pulled into a woodchipper at a hardware store.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 22 May 2025
Definition of fork
Verb
  • Trump hasn’t been tapped along because Putin has never retreated from his annexation ends or his savage means.
    — Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 24 May 2025
  • The project represents the state’s largest effort to date to address the environmental problems plaguing the Salton Sea, which has been steadily retreating and leaving growing stretches of dusty lake bottom exposed to the desert winds.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Definition of retreat

Browse Nearby Words

dive (into)
diverge
diverged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diverge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diverge. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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