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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary dis·tract
DATE 14th century archaic : insane , mad
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw apart, from dis- + trahere to draw DATE 14th century 1. a. to turn aside : divert refused to be distracted from her purpose b. to draw or direct (as one's attention) to a different object or in different directions at the same time was distracted by a sudden noise 2. to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives Synonyms: see puzzle English Etymology distract mid-14c., "to draw asunder or apart" (literal and figurative), from L. distractus, pp. of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" + trahere "to draw" (see tract (1)). Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act" is from 1580s. Related: Distracted; distracting. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 distract dis·tract / di5strAkt / verb[VN] ~ sb / sth (from sth) to take sb's attention away from what they are trying to do 转移(注意力)；分散(思想)；使分心 SYN divert :
You're distracting me from my work. 你使我不能专心工作。 Don't talk to her—she's very easily distracted. 不要同她讲话——她的注意力很容易分散。 It was another attempt to distract attention from the truth. 这又是企图分散人们对事实真相的注意力。 • dis·tract·ing adj.: distracting thoughts 令人分心的想法 a distracting noise 使人心烦意乱的嘈杂声 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English distract verb ADV. easily He's easily distracted from his work | momentarily A noise outside momentarily distracted her. PREP. (away) from an attempt to distract attention away from the real problems in the country Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition v. Function: verb 1 Synonyms: CONFUSE 2, addle, ball up, befuddle, bewilder, ||bumfuzzle, fluster, fuddle, mix up, throw off 2 Synonyms: MADDEN 1, craze, derange, frenzy, unbalance, unhingeWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged dis·tract I. \dəˈstrakt, (ˈ)di|s-\ adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin distractus, past participle 1. obsolete : drawn apart or pulled to pieces; also : diverted 2. a. obsolete : experiencing confusion of mind : distraught b. archaic : insane , mad II. \də̇ˈstrakt\ transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Middle English distracten, from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere, literally, to draw or pull apart, from dis- apart + trahere to draw, pull — more at dis- , draw 1. a. : to draw or cause to turn away (from an original position, goal, purpose, direction, association, or interest) < the last thing he wanted was to be distracted from his present high purpose — Archibald Marshall > < Roeder and his associates were not at once distracted from the sawmill — American Guide Series: Washington > b. obsolete : to draw apart or away : divide , separate ; also :disperse c. : to draw (the sight, mind, or attention) to a different object or compellingly and confusingly attract in divergent directions at once < irritated and distracted during the first part of the concert by the entrance of late concertgoers > < they have distracted our eyes from the pastoral beauty of another Ireland — Sean O'Faolain > d. : to provide amusement or diversion for < the excursion to the zoo served to distract him for at least one afternoon > 2. a. : to stir up or confuse with conflicting emotions or motives or unsettling worries : harass , confound < she was distracted by the uncertainty of her future > b. : to disrupt or cause dissension in by reason of divergent or conflicting desires, aims, or motives < shifting governments and violent oppositions, whose component groups found advantage in forming connections with interests and groups within the distracted company — Times Literary Supplement > < the famous “Elizabethtown Controversy” which long distracted the politics of New Jersey — E.P.Tanner > < the Christian Church … distracted by an internecine conflict — W.R.Inge > 3. : to unsettle the reason of : make insane : madden Synonyms: see puzzle |
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