1. a turning aside (of your course or attention or concern)

    e.g. a diversion from the main highway
           a digression into irrelevant details
           a deflection from his goal

    Synonym: diversiondeviationdigressiondeflectiondivagation

2. the property of being bent or deflected

    Synonym: deflectionbending

3. the movement of the pointer or pen of a measuring instrument from its zero position

    Synonym: deflection

4. the amount by which a propagating wave is bent

    Synonym: deflectionrefraction