Meaning & use
refract
To bend light or another wave as it passes from one medium into another of different density.
See it in a sentence
The prism refracted the beam of white light into a spectrum of colors.
Water refracts light, which is why a straw looks bent when placed in a glass.
A note on using this word
Refract is a physics term specific to the bending of waves like light or sound; do not confuse it with reflect, which means to bounce back.
Words with a similar meaning
benddeflect
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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