To redirect means to send something or someone in a different direction than where they were originally going. When a website redirects you, it automatically sends you to a new page instead of the one you clicked on. When a teacher redirects a wandering conversation back to the lesson, she's guiding everyone's attention back to the topic that matters.

You can redirect physical things too. Engineers might redirect a river's flow to prevent flooding, or you might redirect a stray ball that's rolling toward the street. In your own life, you might need to redirect your energy away from worrying about a test and toward actually studying for it.

The word suggests taking something that's already moving or heading somewhere and changing its course. It's different from simply starting something new. When you redirect, you're working with momentum that already exists. A good coach redirects a player's frustration into motivation. A clever problem solver redirects obstacles into opportunities.

Sometimes people use redirect to describe changing their own plans or focus, like when you realize you've been heading down the wrong path and need to redirect your efforts toward something more productive.