'Distract' definitions:

Definition of 'distract'

(from WordNet)
verb
Draw someone's attention away from something; "The thief distracted the bystanders"; "He deflected his competitors" [syn: distract, deflect]
verb
Disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill" [syn: perturb, unhinge, disquiet, trouble, cark, distract, disorder]

Definition of 'Distract'

From: GCIDE
  • Distract \Dis*tract"\, a. [L. distractus, p. p. of distrahere to draw asunder; dis- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and cf. Distraught.]
  • 1. Separated; drawn asunder. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Insane; mad. [Obs.] --Drayton. [1913 Webster]

Definition of 'Distract'

From: GCIDE
  • Distract \Dis*tract"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Distracted, old p. p. Distraught; p. pr. & vb. n. Distracting.]
  • 1. To draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin. [1913 Webster]
  • A city . . . distracted from itself. --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. To draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention. [1913 Webster]
  • Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass. [1913 Webster]
  • Horror and doubt distract His troubled thoughts. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted. [1913 Webster]
  • A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her. --Shak. [1913 Webster]