deflect

1. (transitive) To make (something) deviate from its original path or position.transitive

2. (transitive, ball games) To touch the ball, often unwittingly, after a shot or a sharp pass, thereby making it unpredictable for the other players.Examples: "The defender deflected the cross into his own net."transitive

3. (intransitive) To deviate from an original path or position.intransitive

4. (transitive, figuratively) To avoid addressing (questions, criticism, etc.).Examples: "The Prime Minister deflected some increasingly pointed questions by claiming he had an appointment."Synonyms: eludefigurativelytransitive

5. (transitive, figuratively) To divert (attention, etc.).Examples: "Certainly there was much in the relationship itself that, with so much energy deflected into logistic maneuvering was never […] "worked out.""; "Critics suggest that Fernández, an unashamed populist and nationalist, is seeking to deflect attention from social disharmony at home."figurativelytransitive

6. (psychology) To redirect culpability to avoid it.