- (n.) The change in the direction of ray of light, heat or the like, when it enters obliquely a medium of a different density from that through which it has previously moved.
- (n.) The act of refracting or the state of being refracted.
- (n.) The change in the direction of a ray of light, and, consequently, in the apparent position of a heavenly body from which it emanates, arising from its passage through the earth's atmosphere; -- hence distinguished as atmospheric refraction or astronomical refraction.
- (n.) The correction which is to be deducted from the apparent altitude of a heavenly body on account of atmospheric refraction, in order to obtain the true altitude.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). refraction. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/refraction/definitions/2053811 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "refraction" http://smartdefine.org/refraction/definitions/2053811 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, refraction, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/refraction/definitions/2053811>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "refraction" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/refraction/definitions/2053811> |