Meaning & use
deviate
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To move away from a plan, a normal way of doing things, or an expected path.
Grammar: No object, usually followed by from: deviate from the plan.
Patterns
- deviate from something
- deviate slightly
- deviate from the norm
The pilot deviated from the planned route to avoid a storm.
Please do not deviate from the instructions.
The results deviate from what the model predicted.
verbintransitiveformal
To act in a way that is different from what most people consider normal or acceptable.
Grammar: Often used about behavior, in social science and law.
Patterns
- deviate from the norm
- deviate from accepted standards
Children who deviate from group rules may be teased.
The witness deviated from her earlier statement.
Few teachers dared to deviate from the standard curriculum.
Word forms
| third person singular | deviates |
|---|---|
| past tense | deviated |
| past participle | deviated |
| -ing form | deviating |
Common combinations
- deviate from the norm
- Her opinions deviate from the norm.
- deviate from the plan
- The team deviated from the plan when it started to rain.
- deviate slightly
- The measurements deviate slightly from the standard.
- deviate from the course
- The ship deviated from its course to avoid ice.
- deviate from the script
- The speaker deviated from the script to tell a joke.
Synonyms and how they differ
- diverge
- Diverge describes two paths separating, while deviate means leaving the expected one.
- stray
- Stray implies a wandering, often unplanned drift, whereas deviate can be deliberate.
- digress
- Digress is used only for talking or writing that wanders from the topic.
- depart
- Depart is more formal and is followed by from in phrases like depart from tradition.
Opposites
Word family
- deviation noun
- a departure from a standard or plan
- deviant adjective
- differing from what is accepted; often a negative word
- deviance noun
- behavior that breaks social norms
- deviator noun
- one who departs from a rule
- standard deviation noun
- a statistic showing how widely values spread around the average
Commonly confused: deviate or divert? deviate or deviant?
deviate vs divert
Divert means to send something in another direction on purpose. Deviate means to leave a course yourself.
deviate vs deviant
Deviant is the adjective and carries a judgment; deviate is the verb and may be neutral.
Practice
The speaker was asked not to ___ from the agreed script.
Choose one answer.
Deviate from means to depart from something set in advance. The other verbs are real words but none takes from in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deviate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.