DETOUR Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

detour 1 of 2

noun

ˈdē-ˌtu̇r

Definition of detour

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

adherence

detour

2 of 2

verb

as in to bypass

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Someone wants answers, not another slick detour, Sagittarius. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026 Street closures are already affecting traffic, and MARTA's Rapid A-Line service along Hank Aaron Drive is operating on a detour from Wednesday through Sunday, with regular stops on Hank Aaron Drive temporarily closed. — Brian Unger, CBS News, 29 July 2026

Verb

Bike traffic will be detoured around the closure through Agnew Road, Lakeshore Drive, Gianera Street, and Stars and Stripes Drive. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 29 June 2026 Traffic was detoured along a route that took drivers an additional six to eight hours to navigate, and the state issued a disaster declaration to acquire federal funding. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for detour

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour

Noun

This stretch of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is identical across every other animal that’s been studied, so the deviation jumped out at Han.

— Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026
American manhood is a fragile and precarious thing, shattered by the slightest deviation from ever-shifting norms—eating the wrong taco, tasting tofu, not eating meat, or maybe eating too much meat.

— Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

Definition of deviation

Verb

East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, to maintain exports at a maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Sweeney provided further details regarding her decision in court documents Sunday, emphasizing that athletes who receive a fifth year do not bypass existing transfer regulations, roster limits, or revenue-sharing amounts.

— Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of bypass

Verb

Palm Aire residents Wayne Oken and Richard Hosford say the plan deviates from what was originally promised when the development was first unveiled.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 30 July 2026
Practicing deviating from our defaults, no matter how mundane, prepares us to deviate again, even in higher stakes contexts.

— Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of deviate

Noun

Stribling has impressed during training camp and could have a significant role as a slot receiver following the departure of Jauan Jennings in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
This is, of course, a significant departure from Tony Blair’s aim of creating a modern workforce that was largely university-educated.

— Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of departure

Verb

The new cap would then presumably include many of the third-party name, image, likeness deals that circumvent the current cap — many arranged by schools' multimedia rights groups.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
There has been an ongoing war between some employees and companies to circumvent the intent of return-to-office mandates.

— Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

Definition of circumvent

Verb

Quixotic aerialists twisted, turned and unfolded above the crowd, using flowing fabric and butterfly-inspired movements to mirror the creatures being celebrated.

— Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Each has turned that necessity into an experience, a product category and a marketing language the C-suite can deploy far beyond sport.

— Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of turn

Verb

The best way to avoid West Nile virus infection is to take precautionary measures to avoid mosquito bites.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Kremer has allowed 12 home runs in seven starts this year, avoiding a home run in only one of those turns and ceding multiple homers in three of them.

— Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoid

Verb

If the answer swings on how the question was phrased, the model is not measuring anything about the match.

— Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Out in the clean air, this pointer swung away from the compass to aim at the plume’s edge, several seconds before the fly physically turned to head back.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of swing

Browse Nearby Words

detonations

detour

detoured

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Cite this Entry

Style

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

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Synonyms of detour

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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