deviate

UK: /ˈdiːvieɪt/

US: /v. ˈdiviˌeɪt; adj., n. -ɪt/

US: (v. dē′vē āt′; adj., n. dē′vē it)

Inflections of 'deviate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

deviates

v 3rd person singular

deviating

v pres p

deviated

v past

deviated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•vi•ate /v. ˈdiviˌeɪt; adj., n. -ɪt/   v., -at•ed, -at•ing, adj., n. 
v. [ no obj;
(~ + from + obj)]

1. to practice deviation:
   The witness deviated from the truth.

adj. 

2. characterized by, or showing such behavior:
   criminally deviate behavior.

n. [countable]

3. a person or thing that deviates, esp. with regard to sexual behavior.

See -via-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•vi•ate  (v. dē′vē āt′;adj., n. dē′vē it), v., -at•ed, -at•ing, adj., n. 
v.i. 

1. to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.
2. to depart or swerve, as from a procedure, course of action, or acceptable norm.
3. to digress, as from a line of thought or reasoning.

v.t. 

4. to cause to swerve;
   turn aside.

adj. 

5. characterized by deviation or departure from an accepted norm or standard, as of behavior.

n. 

6. a person or thing that departs from the accepted norm or standard.
7. a person whose sexual behavior departs from the norm in a way that is considered socially or morally unacceptable.
8. Statistics a variable equal to the difference between a variate and some fixed value, often the mean.

• Late Latin dēviātus turned from the straight road, past participle of dēviāre. See deviant, -ate¹
• 1625–35

de′vi•a•ble, adj. 
de•vi•a•bil•i•ty  (dē′vē ə bil′i tē), n.  de′vi•a′tor, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. veer, wander, stray.
  Deviate, digress, diverge, swerve imply turning or going aside from a path.
  To deviate is to turn or wander, often by slight degrees, from what is considered the most direct or desirable approach to a given physical, intellectual, or moral end:
  Fear caused him to deviate from the truth.
  To digress is primarily to wander from the main theme or topic in writing or speaking:
  Some authors digress to relate entertaining episodes.
  Two paths diverge when they proceed from a common point in such directions that the distance between them increases:
  The sides of an angle diverge from a common point. Their interests gradually diverged.
  To swerve is to make a sudden or sharp turn from a line or course:
  The car swerved to avoid striking a pedestrian.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

deviate verb / ˈdiːvɪˌeɪt/

1. (usually intr) to differ or diverge or cause to differ or diverge, as in belief or thought
2. (usually intr) to turn aside or cause to turn aside; diverge or cause to diverge
3. (intransitive) to depart from an accepted standard or convention

noun , adjective / ˈdiːvɪɪt/

1. another word for deviant

Etymology: 17th Century: from Late Latin dēviāre to turn aside from the direct road, from de- + via road

ˈdeviˌator noun

ˈdeviatory adjective