1. The act or an instance of diverting or turning aside; deviation. A departing from what is prescribed: change in a course, path. A change made in a prescribed route for operational or tactical reasons. A diversion order will not constitute a change of destination. A rerouting of cargo or passengers to a new transshipment point or destination or on a different mode of transportation prior to arrival at ultimate destination. A turning aside or altering of the natural course or route of a thing. The term is chiefly applied to the unauthorized change or alteration of a water course to the prejudice of a lower riparian, or to the unauthorized use of funds. Aberration, departure, deviation, divergence, divergency. See approach/retreat, correct/incorrect. Antonyms: conforming, staying
2. Activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement: disport, fun, play, recreation, sport. See work/play.
3. Entertainment, recreation. Something that distracts the mind and relaxes or entertains, especially a performance or show, designed to entertain: amusement, distraction, entertainment, recreation. See excite/bore/interest. Antonyms: chore, task, vocation, work
4. A maneuver that draws the attention of an opponent away from a planned point of action, especially as part of military strategy. The act of drawing the attention and forces of an enemy from the point of the principal operation; an attack, alarm, or feint that diverts attention. In naval-mine warfare, a route or channel bypassing a dangerous area. A diversion may connect one channel to another, or it may branch from a channel and rejoin it on the other side of the danger.
Legal: A program for the disposition of a criminal charge without a criminal trial; sometimes called operation de nova, intervention, or deferred prosecution. The disposition is conditional on the defendant's performing certain tasks or participating in a treatment program. If the conditions are successfully completed, the charge is dismissed. But if the accused does not meet his or her obligations, prosecution may be instituted.
Diversion may refer to:
- Pharmaceutical diversion, the diversion of licit drugs for illicit purposes
- Product diversion, the sale of products in unintended markets
- A distraction
- Diversion program, criminal justice scheme usually for minor offenses
- A detour, especially of an airplane flight due to severe weather or mechanical failure, or of an ambulance from a fully-occupied emergency room to one another nearby hospital
- The rerouting of water from a river or lake for flood control, or as part of a water supply network for drinking water or irrigation
- Diversionary tactic, also known as feint; a military deception designed to draw enemy strength away from a primary target
