v. 1
To go off course from; to change course; to change plans.
v. 2
To fall outside of, or part from, some norm; to stray.
His exhibition of nude paintings deviated from the norm.
v. 3
To cause to diverge.
n. 1
A person with deviant behaviour; a deviant, degenerate or pervert.

Related words

Word family: deviant deviation

Forms

Plural: deviates → deviants, degenerates, perverts…
Past participle: deviated
e.g. deviated → veered, swerved, changed, bent…

Choose the right word

Deviate, Deflect or Diverge?

Deflect, deviate, and diverge are said of any turning away; deviate commonly of a slight and gradual movement, diverge of a more sharp and decided one.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

bend Bend over backwards for him and he still complain.
veer You shouldn't veer off from the focus.
swerve Boldi managed to swerve around Martha at the last moment.
stray I found a stray dog on my way home. Can I keep it?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
deviate		steady
bend		rising
veer		rising
swerve		rising
stray		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: err¹
4 letters: turn¹, vary², bend¹, warp¹, sway¹, tack¹, veer¹
5 letters: trend¹, curve¹, drift¹, stray¹
6 letters: change¹, differ², wander², depart², divert², swerve¹
7 letters: pervert², deflect², deviant³, digress², diverge², refract
8 letters: straggle²
10 letters: degenerate⁴, divaricate

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (vary² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: dévier
Italiano: deviare
Español: desviar
Deutsch: abschweifen