divert
gb/dɪvˈɚt/ us/dɪvˈɚt/
B2
English
~ 8500
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
change the route or direction
to make people, cars, water, etc. go a different way or in a different direction
Usage pattern:
to divert [something] to [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'divert' with 'convert'. 'Divert' means to change direction or route, especially for traffic or water, while 'convert' means to change something into a different form or type. Also, use the pattern 'divert [something] to [a place]': e.g. 'They diverted traffic to the highway', not 'They diverted to the traffic the highway'.
Synonyms
reroute (often used for traffic or travel like 'divert', but slightly more informal and mainly about roads and transport, not rivers.)
Antonyms
maintain (means to keep something on its existing route or course instead of changing it.)
Collocations
divert traffic
|divert a flight
|divert a river
|divert water
|divert vehicles
|divert a road
Themes
travel
|infrastructure
|environment
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Police diverted traffic onto side streets after the accident.
- The airline diverted the plane to Madrid because of bad weather.
- Engineers are working to divert the river away from the village.
- During construction, buses will be diverted along an alternative route.
- A system of canals diverts water from the main reservoir to nearby farms.
Learner examples
- The police diverted all cars to another road.
- Because of the storm, they diverted the plane to another city.
- Workers diverted the river so it would not hit the town.
- All trucks are diverted through the industrial area.
- The new pipe diverts water to the fields.
Verb
C1
action
2
use resources for a new purpose
to use money, time, or people for a different purpose than first planned
Usage pattern:
to divert [resources] from [use A] to [use B]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'change the funds' when they mean 'divert funds'. 'Change' is very general; 'divert' specifically means moving resources away from one use to another. Also, remember the structure 'divert [something] from X to Y', e.g. 'They diverted funds from education to defense.'
Synonyms
reallocate (a more formal, technical word often used in business or government about distributing resources again.)
Antonyms
commit (to decide that resources will stay with a particular purpose, the opposite of taking them away for something else.)
Collocations
divert funds
|divert resources
|divert staff
|divert investment
|divert money
|divert attention and resources
Themes
business
|politics
|work
|finance
Examples
- The company diverted funds from marketing to research and development.
- Extra staff were diverted to the help desk during the system outage.
- The government plans to divert resources from road building into public transport.
- Money intended for schools was illegally diverted into private accounts.
- During the crisis, they diverted their efforts to supporting existing customers.
Learner examples
- The boss diverted money from one project to another.
- They diverted workers from the factory to the warehouse.
- The city diverted money from parks to new roads.
- More doctors were diverted to the emergency room.
- We diverted our time to help the new team.
Verb
B2
action
3
distract attention or thoughts
to make someone think about or look at something different, so they do not notice or think about the first thing
Usage pattern:
to divert [someone’s] attention from [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often use only 'distract' and do not realize that 'divert' usually sounds more intentional or planned. Also, avoid saying *'divert someone about something'*; use 'divert someone from something' or 'divert someone’s attention from something'.
Synonyms
distract (very close in meaning; 'distract' is more common and general, while 'divert' can sound slightly more formal or intentional.)
Antonyms
focus (means to direct attention strongly toward something, the opposite of taking attention away.)
Collocations
divert attention
|divert attention away from
|divert the public’s attention
|divert someone from their worries
|attempt to divert
|used to divert criticism
Themes
emotions
|communication
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The government was accused of trying to divert attention away from the scandal.
- She told a joke to divert the children from their fears.
- The bright graphics are meant to divert users’ attention from the long loading time.
- He changed the subject to divert her attention from the bad news.
- The charity event helped divert his mind from his personal problems.
Learner examples
- The TV show diverted my attention from my worries.
- He tried to divert her attention by talking about the trip.
- They used music to divert the children from the noise outside.
- She diverted the class’s attention away from the mistake.
- I read a book to divert my mind from stress.
Verb
formal
C1
action
4
entertain or amuse someone
to make someone feel happy or interested, often so they forget a problem for a short time
Usage pattern:
to divert [someone] with [something]
Common mistake:
Learners rarely use this sense and may think 'divert' always means 'change direction'. In this meaning it is close to 'entertain'. Do not say *'divert someone to be happy'*; instead say 'divert someone with games' or 'divert someone by telling jokes'.
Synonyms
entertain (the most common everyday word; 'divert' sounds more formal or literary and often suggests temporary relief.)
Antonyms
bore (means to make someone feel uninterested or tired, the opposite of entertaining them.)
Collocations
divert the children
|divert yourself
|divert passengers
|find ways to divert
|divert the audience
|divert bored guests
Themes
leisure
|emotions
|social
|arts_entertainment
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The hotel organizes activities to divert guests during bad weather.
- She tried to divert the children with stories until dinner was ready.
- He diverted himself with video games while waiting for the results.
- Music and games were provided to divert passengers during the delay.
- The festival is meant to divert locals as well as tourists.
Learner examples
- The parents diverted the children with a game.
- He diverted himself with a movie after work.
- We diverted the kids with songs on the bus.
- A funny show diverted us for an hour.
- She read books to divert herself in the evening.
Verb
technical
B2
action
5
forward phone calls automatically
to make phone calls go to another phone number or to voicemail instead of the first number
Usage pattern:
to divert calls to [a number/service]
Common mistake:
Learners often use only 'forward' for phone calls and do not recognize 'divert' in menus or instructions. Note the pattern 'divert calls to [number/service]'. Do not say *'divert calls on a number'* when you mean 'divert calls to a number'.
Synonyms
forward (in phone and email contexts, 'forward' is the usual term; 'divert' is more common in phone system menus and settings, especially in British English.)
Antonyms
receive (to let calls come directly to the original phone instead of sending them somewhere else.)
Collocations
divert calls
|divert incoming calls
|divert calls to voicemail
|automatically divert calls
|divert all calls
|divert calls to another number
Themes
technology
|communication
Examples
- You can divert all calls to your mobile when you leave the office.
- The system automatically diverts calls to voicemail after five rings.
- I forgot to divert my calls to the front desk over the weekend.
- Support lines were diverted to a backup center during the outage.
- Please divert calls to my colleague while I am on vacation.
Learner examples
- I divert calls to my mobile when I am out.
- The phone diverts calls to voicemail after ten seconds.
- He diverted all office calls to his home phone.
- You can divert calls to another number in the settings.
- She diverted calls to the main office during her trip.
Grammar
Dictionary form
divert
IPA
GB/dɪvˈɚt/
US/dɪvˈɚt/
Syllables & stress
di - vert (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (vert)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: divert
- 3rd Person Singular: diverts
- Present Participle: diverting
- Past: diverted
Word family
Forms
diverts
verb
diverting
verb
diverted
verb
Core family
diversion
noun B2
Advanced or less common
diversionary
adjective
Expressions
be diverted to
1/bˈi dɪvˈɚtɪd tə/
fixed phrase
be sent to another place
used when a plane, car, or person is sent to a different place than planned
Examples
- Due to fog, our flight was diverted to another airport.
- Heavy lorries are diverted to the ring road during the day.
divert attention away from
1/dɪvˈɚt ətˈɛnʃən əwˈeɪ fɹˈʌm/
fixed phrase
take attention away from something
to make people stop looking at or thinking about one thing and look at or think about something else instead
Examples
- Critics say the new policy is meant to divert attention away from the corruption case.
- The charity event helped divert attention away from the negative news about the company.
divert calls to
1/dɪvˈɚt kˈɔlz tə/
fixed phrase
technical
send phone calls elsewhere
to set your phone so that calls go to another phone number or to voicemail
Examples
- You can divert calls to your mobile when you’re not at your desk.
- During the night, the hospital diverts calls to an answering service.
divert funds
1/dɪvˈɚt fˈʌndz/
fixed phrase
move money to a new use
to take money that was for one purpose and use it for another purpose instead
Examples
- The charity investigated claims that managers had diverted funds for personal use.
- The government decided to divert funds from roads to public transport.
divert someone from something
1/dɪvˈɚt sˈʌmwˌʌn fɹˈʌm sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
distract a person from something
to help someone stop thinking about or worrying about something by giving them something else to do or think about
Examples
- I tried to divert her from her worries by talking about our holiday plans.
- The game was fun and diverted him from the pain for a while.
divert traffic
1/dɪvˈɚt tɹˈæfɪk/
fixed phrase
send vehicles a different way
to make cars, buses, and other vehicles go on another road instead of the normal one
Examples
- Police had to divert traffic after the bridge was closed.
- Roadworks will divert traffic through the town center this weekend.