detour 1 of 2

noun

ˈdē-ˌtu̇r How to pronounce detour (audio)
Definition of detournext
as in deviation
a turning away from a course or standard we'll regard this relapse as just a brief detour on your road to recovery from substance abuse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

detour

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to bypass
to avoid by going around we had to detour the construction zone in order to get to the stadium

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deviate
to change one's course or direction we had to detour for a few miles around the section of highway under construction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detour
Noun
For his fourth feature, Post Tenebras Lux, Reygadas took a major detour toward the avant-garde and the personal, in a move that garnered him some detractors while pleasing his more hardcore fans. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026 Proper detour signs back at Polar Rock Road and Lang Drive on either side of the closure would have allowed drivers a safer and more efficient workaround. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
Bicyclists and pedestrians will be detoured using Garrison Street. — Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 But also, an increasing number of Latin artists are staking their own claims to complexity, such as Fuerza Regida, who detoured their corridos into Jersey club, or DJ duo Røz, who pepper their festival sets with electro-rock flirtations. — Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for detour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
  1. deviation
  2. bypass
  3. deviate
  4. departure
  5. circumvent
  6. turn
  7. avoid
  8. swing
Noun
  • Many proteins have significant regions where limited changes to their amino acid sequence are tolerable and other areas where even a slight deviation from the existing sequence inactivates the protein.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Bridge lifts usually happen on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Transportation Department said, though there are a couple of deviations from that schedule this year to accommodate ongoing rehabilitation work on the 110-year-old Lake Street Bridge.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of deviation
Verb
  • As with its previous gear releases, PD EDC is bypassing traditional retail avenues to bring this project to fruition.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • By submitting his proposal, Galbut hopes to bypass the auction process and negotiate his own deal with Levine Cava.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • Neon has been in communication the SCP Wiki team to ensure the film’s distribution does not deviate from their mission and licensing guidelines.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The complication shows the moon phases for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, with a 135-tooth driving wheel that drastically enhances accuracy, deviating by just one day every 122 years.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of deviate
Noun
  • The departures show Meta is still shaping its strategy around AI and AI safety amid new calls for regulation in Washington.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The group formally processed the vessel’s departure and was trying to avoid violating Panamanian law.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of departure
Verb
  • Whether or not Hal was right to entice Zoe (upon whose shoulders the carnage ultimately falls), his decision to circumvent the Guardians’ chain of command is what ultimately leads to countless deaths and his imprisonment for reckless endangerment.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Fragmentation has allowed many powerful figures to get their message across by circumventing traditional media outlets whose questions many CEOs and politicians don’t want to answer.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • Democratic strategist Jay Satterfield said the goal is not to turn rural Virginia blue.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Today, about six decades after being turned into a hotel, the property is owned by the same group that owns The Witchery at the Castle—an explanation, perhaps, for its signature theatrical flavor.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of turn
Verb
  • Expecting heavy traffic on the site, the archive has outsourced the database to external servers to avoid overloading its own.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The people familiar with the discussions spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the administration.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • When the Spider swings past a silverish-gray newsstand filled with copies of the Daily Bugle, the frame becomes black-and-white, even in the color version.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • There was no notice to staff that swings in blood sugar levels can cause the kind of emotional distress and behavioral outbursts that got Christian in trouble.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of swing

Browse Nearby Words

detonations
detour
detoured
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Cite this Entry

“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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