How to Use distracted in a Sentence

distracted

adjective
  • If you're feeling distracted, take a break.
  • That show is what has been keeping us all blind and distracted.
    — Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, 26 Mar. 2018
  • Some big rubber balls had been tossed in to keep them distracted.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • But there is a law against distracted driving.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
  • When someone feels hazy, tired and distracted, it’s called brain fog.
    — Emily Mendenhall, Scientific American, 12 May 2023
  • Many people are just so distracted by their screens and scrolling they nosh at a faster pace.
    — Jamie Friedlander Serrano, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Many are nothing more than tiny dots of color that a distracted eye skims right over.
    — Alissa Greenberg, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Yes, phones in cars are bad, as is any other form of distracted driving.
    — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2020
  • The distracted tone of her delivery drains any force from the threat.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 June 2021
  • For those of us who like to get off the roads and away from distracted drivers, a paved trail is the way to go.
    — Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2019
  • But during the tour, she was too distracted by the progress on the crossing to dwell on the stress.
    — Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Bear cubs, wolf pups, and other wildlife have all been killed by distracted drivers.
    — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026
  • Too many cars with distracted drivers!
    — Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025
  • The lampposts in front of the entrance lent the road only a distracted sort of light.
    — Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2021
  • The moment was ripe for Ole Miss to play like a distracted bunch.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The distracted attendant let all of us in.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025
  • The distracted attendant let all of us in.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
  • But the threat of a distracted Musk may be even more worrisome.
    — Matt Durot, Forbes, 5 May 2022
  • Now imagine distracted drivers in monster trucks on high-speed roads in the dark.
    — Emily Badger, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2023
  • The key to this gaslighting reprobate is that the group has become distracted.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 July 2022
  • As long as Woodson isn’t distracted, Wise is fine with it.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The club also urged parents to talk to kids about distracted walking.
    — Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Most of the movie’s tableaus—like the one featuring the distracted waiter—are one-offs.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Apr. 2021
  • But Femi, ring wise, is distracted.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
  • Gill said the bill is part of a trend toward addressing gaps in distracted driving gaps laws.
    — Mary Stroka, Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2021
  • The flights can also be voice-controlled by the (distracted) driver.
    — Carlton Reid, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Maybe your partner seems distracted, or a coworker’s vibe changes overnight.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
  • This is the kind of carnage caused every day by drunken and distracted drivers.
    — Jim Stingl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Dec. 2017
  • So, how do drivers avoid distracted driving?
    — Charles Singh, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025
  • In the last few years, though, the data on distracted driving has gotten better.
    — Vox Staff, Vox, 13 May 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distracted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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