refracted; refracting; refracts
1
a
: to subject (something, such as a ray of light) to refraction
Between them, Kirchhoff and Bunsen developed the spectroscope, which uses a prism to refract light.—
Paul Strathern
Paul Strathern
b
: to alter or distort as if by refraction
"Nope" is his twist on the alien-invasion film as refracted through the prism of [filmmaker] David Lynch.—Cary Darling
Cary DarlingToo often Indian food, and later Chinese—then the two most favored and accepted of foreign cuisines—became refracted through the prism of British food.—Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lawson2
: to determine the refracting power of
refract a lens
: to be subjected to refraction
The head of the figure is often surrounded by rings of coloured light caused by light diffraction. Like with a rainbow, this is caused by light refracting through tiny droplets of water in the air.—Olivia Jones
Olivia JonesExamples of refract in a Sentence
Light is refracted when it hits water.
Recent Examples on the Web
These radio waves refract off a region of the Earth's upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 21 May 2025
So lifting, the dynamic of lifting through asking how do things feel, refracted into the rest of my life.
—Alyssa Bereznak, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
Churchill’s politics emerge with the same craftiness as her mysticism, like a beam refracted around the corner of a dream-logic prism.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
The spacecraft takes on a red hue due to the sunlight being refracted through Earth’s atmosphere.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refract
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Melina Khan, USA Today, 21 May 2025
So lifting, the dynamic of lifting through asking how do things feel, refracted into the rest of my life.
—Alyssa Bereznak, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
Churchill’s politics emerge with the same craftiness as her mysticism, like a beam refracted around the corner of a dream-logic prism.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
The spacecraft takes on a red hue due to the sunlight being refracted through Earth’s atmosphere.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for refract
Cite this Entry
“Refract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refract. Accessed 31 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refract
verb
re·fract
ri-ˈfrakt 
: to cause to go through refraction
Medical Definition
refract
transitive verb
re·fract
ri-ˈfrakt
1
: to subject (as a ray of light) to refraction
2
: to determine the refracting power of or abnormality of refraction in (as an eye or a lens)
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