refract

verb

re·​fract ri-ˈfrakt 

refracted; refracting; refracts

transitive verb

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

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

Too 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

2

: to determine the refracting power of

refract a lens

intransitive verb

: 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

Examples of refract in a Sentence

Light is refracted when it hits water.

Recent Examples on the Web

Working once again with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, Swift refracted the warm synth-pop and rustic indie-folk of her past few projects through an even moodier prism, and the songs shrugged off radio-friendly hooks in favor of insecurities and unruly thoughts. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024

The director, who used the film as a way to refract a personal experience with grief, saw Bill as a man who was slowly beginning to erupt emotionally. —Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Some of the essays in Cellophane Bricks are easy to follow, though just as many of the pieces read like impressionistic prose poems or refracted flights of fancy that connect to their subject matter in obscure ways. —Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 10 Dec. 2024

The song refracts like a prism at high noon, filled with stuttering blips that shapeshift at each turn. —Pitchfork, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin refractus, past participle of refringere to break open, break up, from re- + frangere to break — more at break

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids 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)