detour 1 of 2

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

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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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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

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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
With Fielder’s incisive mind, the detours are everything. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025 There was the promise of a long road detour or the prospect of a dangerous railroad crossing. Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 20 June 2025
Verb
Drivers will be detoured from Portestowne Way to Forester Street and Corporate Center Drive, and back onto N.C. 150. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2025 Traffic will be detoured around the section of the Douglas County interchange starting at 8 p.m., with the detour lifting 5 a.m. Monday. Max Levy, Denver Post, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for detour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
Noun
  • One reason is that even the most consistent data will – even should – show an occasional deviation.
    Derek Newton, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • Given all these natural deviations, a CGM may not be able to tell you anything especially useful about your health.
    Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • My team was supposed to do the landing on the moon, of course that got bypassed pretty fast.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 June 2025
  • His warlike actions in Iran, despite campaign promises to the contrary, blatantly bypassed the need to gain approval from the legislative branch of government.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • The fatal flight’s initial trajectory in the air is also somewhat typical and does not deviate significantly from the previous seven Air India Flight 171 departures from Ahmedabad, according to historical flight data.
    Mika Gröndahl, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • The image had shown a dessert dramatically deviating from the typical McDonald's serving, yet presented without explanation—leaving much to speculation.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • As fans may recall, Berk announced his departure from the series in November 2023 after eight seasons.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 27 June 2025
  • The restaurant, open since 1996 and once recognized on a Texas Monthly list of the state’s best breakfasts, closed June 14 with the departure of operator Brenda Lester.
    Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • The case highlighted how independent voices can circumvent the gatekeeping position of corporate media and rally the public.
    Tom Blakely, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
  • There’s no surefire way to keep AI companies from scraping news websites; even the Robots Exclusion Protocol, the standard opt-out method available to news publishers, is easily circumvented.
    Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • The officer was traveling westbound on Olympic Parkway and was turning left to travel south on Windingwalk Street when the motorcyclist, who was traveling eastbound on Olympic Parkway allegedly crashed onto the side of police car.
    City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
  • The former athlete posted a pair of throwback photos on his Instagram Stories in honor of the Prince of Wales turning 43 on June 21.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 June 2025
Verb
  • Without an aisle, the box occupants must seat themselves in order from front to back to avoid climbing over one another.
    Judith Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025
  • Don’t say Discovery The language in the Senate bill avoids any mention of the Smithsonian, Space Center Houston, Discovery, or even the space shuttle.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The next step, Thomson said, is to get Harper outside Friday to throw more and swing off a tee.
    Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • Telfar bags swung next to kente cloth wraps, and authors like Clarence Haynes signed copies of his new novel, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery, as lines snaked through the crowds.
    Essence, Essence, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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