distract

Definitions

1. 1.Insane; mad. [Obs.] Drayton.
2. 2.To draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin. A city . . . distracted from itself. Fuller.
3. 3.To draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention. Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination. Goldsmith.
4. 4.To agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass. Horror and doubt distract His troubled thoughts. Milton.
5. 5.To unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted. A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her. Shak.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Related questions

• What does "distract" mean?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is distract.

• What is to draw apart or away; to divide; to disjoin. A city . . . distracted from itself. Fuller called?
• What is to draw (the sight, mind, or attention) in different directions; to perplex; to confuse; as, to distract the eye; to distract the attention. Mixed metaphors . . . distract the imagination. Goldsmith called?
• What is to agitate by conflicting passions, or by a variety of motives or of cares; to confound; to harass. Horror and doubt distract His troubled thoughts. Milton called?
• What is to unsettle the reason of; to render insane; to craze; to madden; -- most frequently used in the participle, distracted. A poor mad soul; . . . poverty hath distracted her. Shak called?