refract

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: retract

Antonyms: retract

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Verb

1. {{lb|en|transitive|physics}} Of a [[medium]], substance, object, etc.: to [[deflect]] the course of ([[lightrays|light rays]]), esp. when they enter the medium, etc., at an [[oblique]] angle; to cause refraction of (light, other [[electromagnetic radiation]], or sound or other [[wave]] phenomena).
2. {{lb|en|transitive|figurative}} To [[mediate]]; to [[alter]]; to [[distort]].
3. {{lb|en|transitive|optics}} To cause (light) to change direction as a result of entering a different medium.
4. {{lb|en|transitive|ophthalmology}} To measure, and often also to correct with lenses, the refractive error of (an eye) or the eyes of (a person).

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.