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divert

[/daɪˈvɜːrt/ or /dɪˈvɜːrt/]
verb
desviar
1. to change the course or direction of something
The road construction forced them to divert traffic to an alternate route.
A construção da estrada os forçou a desviar o tráfego para uma rota alternativa.
2. to distract someone's attention from something
He tried to divert her attention from the broken vase by changing the subject.
Ele tentou desviar a atenção dela do vaso quebrado mudando de assunto.
3. to redirect funds or resources to a different purpose
The company diverted funds from marketing to research and development.
A empresa desviou fundos do marketing para pesquisa e desenvolvimento.
4. to amuse or entertain
The clown's antics diverted the children during the long wait.
As acrobacias do palhaço divertiram as crianças durante a longa espera.
NYC Slang
throw someone off
Synonyms
redirectdeflectdistractturn asideentertainamuse
Antonyms
concentratefocusdirect

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
desviar
most common usage across Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
desviar
standard usage, occasionally 'tirar a atenção'
São Paulo
desviar
standard usage, formal and informal contexts
Portugal
desviar
standard usage; 'divertir' used only for amusing/entertaining

Related Idioms & Phrases

divert attention from
divert funds to
divert traffic
divert one's course
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