Meaning of “diversion” in the English Dictionary

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"diversion" in English

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diversionnoun

uk ​ /daɪˈvɜː.ʃən/ us ​ /dɪˈvɝː.ʃən/

diversion noun (CHANGE OF DIRECTION)

› [ C ] UK US detour a different route that is used because a road is closed:

Traffic diversions will be kept to a minimum throughout the festival.

› [ C or U ] the fact of something being sent somewhere different from where it was originally intended to go:

the diversion of money to other projects

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

diversion noun (TAKING ATTENTION)

› [ C ] something that takes your attention away from something else:

Shoplifters often work in pairs, with one creating a diversion to distract the staff while the other steals the goods.

› [ C ] formal an activity you do for entertainment:

Reading is a pleasant diversion.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

diversionary
adjective uk ​ /daɪˈvɜː.ʃən.ər.i/ us ​ /dɪˈvɝː.ʃən.er.i/

›

The proposal was dismissed as a diversionary tactic intended to distract attention from the real problems.

(Definition of “diversion” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"diversion" in American English

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diversionnoun

us ​ /dɪˈvɜr·ʒən, dɑɪ-/

diversion noun (CHANGE OF DIRECTION)

› [ C/U ] the act of causing something or someone to turn in a different direction, or to be used for a different purpose:

[ U ] A snowstorm closed the airport, and the diversion of air traffic was therefore necessary.
[ C ] diversions of money into other projects

diversion noun (ENJOYABLE ACTIVITY)

› [ C ] an action that takes attention away from something, esp. one that gives pleasure or enjoyment:

This lawyer-bachelor devoted his life to the Senate, his only real diversion being baseball.

(Definition of “diversion” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"diversion" in Business English

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diversionnoun [ C or U ]

uk ​ /daɪˈvɜːʃən/ us ​

› the act of using something in a different way from what was originally planned:

There has been a diversion of resources away from new infrastructure projects.

› COMMERCE the act of selling goods in a market for which they were not intended, usually without the knowledge or permission of the original seller:

It is difficult for many states to prevent the diversion of arms to illicit markets.

(Definition of “diversion” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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