Spanish word

distraer

Pronunciation

IPA/distɾaˈeɾ/

Meaning

  • verbtake one's mind off

Example

Cuando estoy triste, me distraigo escuchando música.

When I'm sad, I take my mind off it by listening to music.

Illustration for distraer (take one's mind off)

More examples

En clase, es importante no distraer la atención de los demás.

In class, it's important not to divert the attention of others.

Core concept

A rope tugging attention away.

Common phrases

  • distraer la atención

    divert attention

  • distraer a alguien

    distract someone

  • distraerse con la música

    distract oneself with music

Similar words

divertir: Create amusement that makes people feel happier.
entretener: Provide enjoyable activities that occupy time and attention.
despistar: Throw off someone's attention so they miss or cannot follow something.

Definition in Spanish

Hacer que la atención o el ánimo se vuelva hacia otra cosa de forma temporal, ya sea para distraer a alguien o distraerse uno mismo.

Word origin

Derived from Latin distrahere (dis- 'apart' + trahere 'to pull'), literally 'pull apart', which shifted to the idea of pulling attention away and yielded Spanish distraer.

Usage tips

  • To express 'I take my mind off things by X', Spanish often uses me distraigo + gerund or me distraigo con + noun rather than a literal 'I entertain myself' formulation.

Other meanings

  • distractverb
  • entertainverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word