verb
- causes light, sound, or other waves to bend or spread out when passing through an opening or around an obstacle
Usage: physics; third person singular present tense
Examples
- The prism diffracts white light into a rainbow of colors.
- Water diffracts sound waves as they pass around the pier.
- The narrow slit diffracts the laser beam into multiple patterns.
- When light diffracts through a small hole, it creates interference patterns.
- The telescope’s aperture diffracts starlight, affecting image quality.
- Radio waves diffract around mountains to reach distant receivers.