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ablenken

to distract, to divert attention

verb AP-leng-ken Rare
Communication Speech

Also means

to deflect (a question, topic)

Usage Note

Ablenken in conversation means to steer a discussion away from an uncomfortable topic — vom Thema ablenken is a standard phrase. It can also describe distraction more broadly.

Examples

"Er versuchte, durch Witze vom Thema abzulenken."

Natural Translation

He tried to distract from the topic with jokes.

Literal Translation

He tried through jokes from the topic to-distract.

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