distract
Pronunciation: /dɪˈstrakt/
verb
- prevent (someone) from concentrating on something: don’t allow noise to distract you from your work
- divert (attention) from something: it was another attempt to distract attention from the truth
- (distract oneself) divert one’s attention from something unpleasant by doing something different or more pleasurable: I tried to distract myself by concentrating on Jane
- archaic perplex and bewilder: horror and doubt distract His troubl’d thoughts
Origin:
late Middle English (also in the sense 'pull in different directions'): from Latin distract- 'drawn apart', from the verb distrahere, from dis- 'apart' + trahere 'to draw, drag'