Spanish Conversation · Level 96
60 words
Spanish word
desviar
Pronunciation
IPA/desˈβjaɾ/
Meaning
- verblook away
Example
No desvíes la mirada.
Don't look away.
More examples
Intentaron desviar la atención con una broma.
They tried to divert attention with a joke.
Core concept
A gaze shifting from one person to another.
Common phrases
desviar la mirada
look away
desviar la atención
divert attention
desviar la conversación
divert the conversation
Similar words
distraer: Focus is pulled toward another stimulus, interrupting concentration.
apartar: An item or gaze is put to the side, separated from its previous spot.
alejar: Someone or something is taken to a more distant location or kept away.
girar: An object or body rotates so its front faces a new direction.
Definition in Spanish
Hacer que algo deje su trayectoria, enfoque o mirada y pase a otra dirección u objetivo.
Word origin
From Latin de- 'away' plus via 'road', inherited through Romance verbs such as Italian deviare and French dévier into Spanish desviar to denote turning or diverting a course, focus, or gaze.
Usage tips
- Common collocations are desviar la mirada and desviar la atención, while the reflexive desviarse indicates the subject itself shifts and desviar + object indicates redirecting something else.
Other meanings
- divertverb
- deviateverb
Opposites
- fijarfixverb
- concentrarconcentrateverb
Related words
- desviacióndeviationnoun
- desvíodetournoun
- desviadodivertedadjective