英语词汇“distract”的英英意思、用法、释义、翻译、读音、例句、短语、词组-英语词典

WORD ORIGINdistract

Origin:

1300-1400 Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere ‘to pull apart’

VERB TABLE

distract

Simple Form
Present	I, you, we, they	distract
	he, she, it	distracts
Past	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	distracted
Present perfect	I, you, we, they	have distracted
	he, she, it	has distracted
Past perfect	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	had distracted
Future	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will distract
Future perfect	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will have distracted

Continuous Form
Present	I	am distracting
	he, she, it	is distracting
	you, we, they	are distracting
Past	I, he, she, it	was distracting
	you, we, they	were distracting
Present perfect	I, you, we, they	have been distracting
	he, she, it	has been distracting
Past perfect	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	had been distracting
Future	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will be distracting
Future perfect	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	will have been distracting

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES

Don't distract me while I'm driving!
Don't distract your father while he's driving.
I was distracted by the sound of a car alarm in the street.
The couple behind us kept distracting everyone by talking during the movie.

EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS

A horizontal striping pattern distracts the eye and disguises the pattern of light and dark.
A more complicated mount might have distracted one's eye from the flowers and the frame.
A plot should always be strong enough to distract you from hats.
Alan is moving slowly, apparently distracted by other cases.
I'd love to tell you what he did with it but I must not get distracted from the task in hand.
She looked rather as the Duchess of Windsor did in distracted old age.
To distract myself, I was playing a little game wherein I tried to determine which apparatus I hated most.

Longman Language Activatorto disturb someone so that they cannot continue what they are doing► disturb

to stop someone when they are working, talking, or having a meeting, especially because you want to ask a question or tell them something: · Sorry to disturb you, but could I ask a quick question?· Try not to disturb your dad - he's working.· Before closing the door to his office, he told his secretary that he was not to be disturbed.

► interrupt

to stop someone when they are working, talking, or having a meeting, especially because you want to ask them a question or tell them something: · Don't interrupt - I haven't finished yet.· I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting, but may I speak with Michael for a moment?· While I was giving my report, some guy in the back kept interrupting me every two minutes.

► bother

to disturb someone who is doing something, especially in a way that is annoying: · Will you stop bothering me? I'm trying to watch a program.· Sorry to bother you, but could you help me one more time with the copier?· Don't bother Ellen while she's reading.

► distract

to stop someone who is trying to work, study, or read, by making them look at or listen to something else: · Don't distract your father while he's driving.· The couple behind us kept distracting everyone by talking during the movie.· I was distracted by the sound of a car alarm in the street.

► put somebody off

British to make it difficult for someone to do something, by preventing them from paying attention and thinking clearly about what they are doing: · Seles couldn't concentrate on the game - the photographers were putting her off.

► break somebody's train of thought

to disturb someone so that they forget what they were thinking about: · The phone rang, breaking my train of thought.· I sat very still, not wanting to break her train of thought.

COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY► distract attention

Coverage of the war was used to distract attention from other matters.

COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► easily

· He's easily distracted from anything that isn't creative writing, though, very up-and-down.· For example, consider a very sensitive child who is easily distracted by every sight and sound around her.· They are often too easily distracted by their own anxiety.· No wonder she was easily distracted and forgetful at school.· My first weakness is that I get easily distracted when I study.· Once they are on task, they are easily distracted by other children or even by objects on their desk.· The more she does this, the more easily distracted she is.

► too

· But Ronni, distracted too, reacted too slowly.· What you want in a counselling room is something welcoming but not too distracting.· The Goddard visitors' center was one possibility, but the various displays seemed too distracting.· Yet tonight he could not relax; he was too distracted, ill-at-ease with the atmosphere in his own household.· So he was too distracted by other matters to focus on the East.

NOUN► attention

· Such comments have distracted attention from a long-awaited improvement in the economy.· But his banter was a way of distracting attention from the issue at hand.· Instead, distract your child's attention from the buckles by fitting a play tray over the top.· Combine roses with earlier or later flowering plants, and with evergreens to distract attention from their leafless stems in winter.· His clumsy attempt to distract her attention was all the warning she needed.· He gestures at the building behind him, as if trying to distract the animal's attention.· He distracts attention with homophobic rants and attacks on opposition politicians and journalists.· Rachel could have brought the snow in and let it melt soas to distract attention from herself.

► child

· Once they are on task, they are easily distracted by other children or even by objects on their desk.· The stern overseer would never have allowed her to distract the other children.

► mind

· I hoped that it would distract his mind from his problems at work.· They could exchange gossip about the parish; anything to distract his mind.

► thought

· At least then there would have been the chatter of her neighbours to distract her thoughts.· Just then, however, came an interruption which distracted the thoughts of every man there.· The arrival of Joanna, brought from hospital by Ian, distracted her from sorrowful thoughts, for which she was thankful.· When distracting thoughts occur, try to ignore them by not dwelling upon them and return to your breathing exercise.· Finally, my mind was distracted by thoughts of home.

VERB► become

· No one suggests that the workaholic Harrison dallied or became distracted.· It becomes heavy work to distract Harriet from brooding about lost Elton.· But, the reader will become confused and distracted by passives, so avoid them.

► get

· I'd love to tell you what he did with it but I must not get distracted from the task in hand.· When you see jargon from other industries, you probably get confused and distracted, wanting familiar terms instead.· We are well aware by now that history makes mistakes, that it gets distracted, falls asleep, loses its way.· My first weakness is that I get easily distracted when I study.· The bomb-sniffing system runs automatically and does not get distracted or tired.· I get nervous, or get distracted.· And like a little kid, he is interested in everything, often getting distracted.· A toddler may tune out and get distracted when pictures in a book become too intricate.

► seem

· At its best the effect is like film music; at its worst it seems distracting.· In fact, if you have called me on the phone recently and noticed that I seemed distracted, take no offense.· Everyone seemed cool and distracted, uninterested in trade or cultural exchanges.· The Goddard visitors' center was one possibility, but the various displays seemed too distracting.· But she seemed distracted and moody, crying one moment, giggling the next.· Hinds seemed more subdued, distracted.

► try

· If the area concerned is not suitable, you should try to distract their attention elsewhere.· He tried everything to distract me.· He gestures at the building behind him, as if trying to distract the animal's attention.· I was trying to distract people from the craziness in which we live; and definitely not point the finger at it.· If he walked fast he was too aware of trying to distract himself.· The babysitter would try to distract Hannah while they sneaked out the door to work.· She plunged deeply into work to try and distract herself.· Always the perfect aide, Serrigny tried to distract him with Rabelaisian reminiscences from army life of twenty years ago.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► divert/distract/draw attention from something

But his banter was a way of distracting attention from the issue at hand.
Combine roses with earlier or later flowering plants, and with evergreens to distract attention from their leafless stems in winter.
It also distracted attention from the continued effects of racism.
Lisa tells us it diverts attention from the pain.
Police said the message was a decoy to distract attention from the real danger area.
Such comments have distracted attention from a long-awaited improvement in the economy.
The authorities are said to take the view that the Gulf war will distract attention from civilian casualties in Jaffna.
They know how to make themselves look good, and they also know how to divert attention from the less flattering stories.