detour

verb

detoured; detouring; detours

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

Synonyms of detour

• bypass
• circumvent
• avoid

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 on the Web

Motorist are detoured westbound to Emigrant Gap and return eastbound on I-80 to Yuba Gap. —Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2026

Southbound lanes remained closed seven hours after the crash, with traffic being detoured. —Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Following the incident, the highway was temporarily closed and detoured as authorities continued to investigate the crash and what caused it. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026

To avoid it, carriers are having to detour around Africa’s southern tip, extending travel times by weeks and pushing maritime traffic directly into the volatile Somali basin. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for detour

• abjure
• adjure
• allure
• assure
• brochure
• cocksure
• coiffure
• contour
• couture
• demure
• endure
• ensure

Kids Definition

detour

1 of 2 noun

de·​tour ˈdē-ˌtu̇(ə)r 

also di-ˈtu̇(ə)r

: a departure from a direct course or the usual procedure

especially : a roundabout way temporarily replacing a regular route

detour

2 of 2 verb

: to send or proceed by a detour

detour traffic around an accident