detour

noun de·tour \ ˈdē-ˌtu̇r also di-ˈtu̇r \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Definition of detour

: a deviation from a direct course or the usual procedure; especially : a roundabout way temporarily replacing part of a route

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See detour defined for kids

Examples of detour in a Sentence

After a number of unexpected detours, we finally arrived at our destination.
The little restaurant is worth a detour.
We had to make a detour around the heaviest traffic.
We took a detour from the main streets.
The road is closed ahead, so traffic will have to follow the detour.

Recent Examples of detour from the Web

The voluntarily underemployed tended to come from families with money, and many did not consider the decision to be a temporary exploratory detour but, rather, a permanent path.

— alexia elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Why settling for a subpar job right out of college can hurt your career for years," 13 June 2018
Portland is encouraging cyclists to take the following detours: Use the Sellwood Bridge to connect to the Greenway Trail on the westside - a good plan for commuters traveling to and from South Waterfront and Downtown.

— andrew theen, OregonLive.com, "Springwater Corridor closure will divert cyclists onto city streets, help salmon habitat," 5 June 2018
Last week, Westworld took a bit of a detour, focusing largely on Delos, Inc.’s secret initiative to use host technology to clone human beings, starting with company founder James Delos (Peter Mullan).

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "Westworld Spoilers Club season 2, episode 5: Akane No Mai," 21 May 2018
Anyone who visits or drives by the Downtown St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center knows things are a bit chaotic – closed roads, detours, mountains of dirt – all part of the hospital’s big expansion.

— tim woodward, idahostatesman, "As St. Luke’s keeps growing, who keeps it looking beautiful? He just goes by ‘gardener’ | Idaho Statesman," 18 May 2018
Just a little detour after coming all the way from the Dominican Republic.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pitching merry-go-round continues for Brewers as Freddy Peralta gets call for MLB debut," 12 May 2018
If biochemical dysfunction caused depression, and scientists could correct it with drugs, maybe talk therapy had been a big, unnecessary detour.

— moises velasquez-manoff, WIRED, "Ketamine Stirs Up Hope—and Controversy—as a Depression Drug," 8 May 2018
This swerve into supernatural mystery turns out to be a mere detour, though, as the president returns to the conference and navigates his way out of an international conflict.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "The wall’s gonna fall at the Chicago Latino Film Festival," 5 Apr. 2018
The two-time Oscar-winning actress took a 23-year detour into politics, and clearly her blistering broadsides as a member of Parliament against the Conservative opposition have kept her histrionic powers sharp within a certain range.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Glenda Jackson steals the show in a thrilling, emotionally affecting 'Three Tall Women' on Broadway," 30 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'detour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of detour

French détour, from Old French destor, from destorner to divert, from des- de- + torner to turn — more at turn

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1738

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

detour Synonyms

detour

verb

Definition of detour

intransitive verb

: to proceed by a detour

detour around road construction

transitive verb

1 : to send by a circuitous route

detour traffic around an accident

2 : to avoid by going around : bypass

detour an accident site

See detour defined for English-language learners

Examples of detour in a Sentence

We detoured around the heaviest traffic.
A police officer was detouring traffic around the scene of the accident.
Traffic will be detoured to 72nd Street.

Recent Examples of detour from the Web

Northbound traffic on LeSourdsville West Chester Road will detour west on Tylersville Road, north on Ohio 747 and east on Princeton Road to LeSourdsville West Chester Road.

— madeline mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Traffic Update: Construction at Hamilton Mason Road and LeSourdsville West Chester Road intersection," 12 June 2018
The tracks are going the wrong way, so William decides to detour by Lawrence’s hometown, which sounds like something Ford would orchestrate as part of this new game.

— refinery29.com, "Westworld Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: "The Riddle Of The Sphinx"," 14 May 2018
The southbound left turn lane at Lyons and Southwest 18th may be closed, with traffic detoured to Northwest 75th Place to make a U-turn.

— Sun-Sentinel.com, "Resurfacing, water mains among road work in West Boca," 19 Apr. 2018
Donald Glover’s comedy about life on the margins of the Atlanta hip-hop scene could detour at any moment.

— james poniewozik, New York Times, "Review: ‘Atlanta’ and the Surreal Larceny of Life," 28 Feb. 2018
During construction, traffic will be detoured along Highway 145 (West Fond du Lac Drive), Highway 100 and Highway 181 (North 76th Street).

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mequon Road in Germantown will close all summer for construction. Here's what you need to know.," 1 June 2018
During that closure, southbound I-65 traffic in the area will be detoured via I-465 South or I-865 East.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "Part of I-65 Downtown will close. Here's how that will affect your commute.," 30 May 2018
TriMet bus routes that normally use the Hawthorne Bridge will detour to the Morrison Bridge on Sunday.

— rosemarie stein, OregonLive.com, "Portland Metro Friday Traffic: Hawthorne Bridge closed Sunday to motor vehicles," 18 May 2018
Traffic heading toward downtown will detour onto Prytania Street at Napoleon, while traffic heading Uptown will continue on the lane shift currently in effect for repaving work, the news release states.

— beau evans, NOLA.com, "St. Charles Avenue heading downtown to close briefly Friday: Napoleon to Louisiana," 17 May 2018

First Known Use of detour

1836

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

detour Synonyms

Synonyms

bypass, circumnavigate, circumvent, skirt;

Near Antonyms

confront, face, meet;

accept, court, embrace, pursue, seek, welcome;

Related Words

leapfrog;

avoid, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, flee, shake, shun;

DETOUR Defined for English Language Learners

detour

verb

Definition of detour for English Language Learners

: to go along a way that is different from and usually longer than the usual or planned way
: to make (someone or something) go in a direction that is not planned or expected
: to avoid (something) by going around it