Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

Distraction and causing distraction

distraction

noun

something that gets your attention and prevents you from concentrating on something else

disturbance

noun

something that interrupts you and stops you from continuing what you were doing

diversion

noun

something that is intended to take someone’s attention away from something that you do not want them to concentrate on or notice

preoccupation

noun

something that you think about and want to do because it is important

haze

noun

a situation or condition which makes it difficult for you to think clearly

distracting

adjective

preventing you from concentrating on something

diversionary

adjective

intended to take attention away from something

off-putting

adjective

used for describing something that stops you concentrating on what you are doing

unsettling

adjective

something that is unsettling makes you feel nervous, confused, or upset

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

neutron

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has no electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog