detouring

verb

present participle of detour
1
as in bypassing
to avoid by going around we had to detour the construction zone in order to get to the stadium

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deviating
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 detouring Westbound lanes of Interstate 80 were closed Sunday near Colfax, with traffic detouring through Secret Town, following a diesel spill from a semi-tanker. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 24 May 2026 All eastbound trips near the intersection were detouring as delays were expected, and students at Golden Valley and Bowman high schools were moved to different pick-up points. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 Brown apologized for detouring off-topic again. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026 Both Ball and Norman danced around the question, detouring to talk about everything from the First Amendment, partnerships among local law enforcement agencies, chronic staffing issues, possession of body cameras and protesters' right to record and report after an incident. — Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026 No detouring from the course that has got them to this point. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026 For three months, the party scouted out a path across the desert, frequently detouring around impassable canyons and mountains. — Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025 In Expedia's report, some popular destinations include detouring from Brescia, Italy, to Milan, and from Santa Barbara, California, to Los Angeles. — Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detouring
  1. bypassing
  2. deviating
  3. avoiding
  4. turning
  5. circumventing
  6. veering
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
  • Another is Judge Sweeney bypassing a temporary restraining order (TRO) to issue a more lasting preliminary injunction (PI).
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of bypassing
Verb
  • 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
  • The highly disguised initial view of the model undergoing final testing showed the luxury marque deviating away from its traditional upright boxy off-road SUVs into a new territory.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026
Definition of deviating
Verb
  • The state health department says that avoiding tick bites is the best way to avoid tularemia.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • An armed off-duty Idaho state trooper and a private citizen confronted the shooter, likely driving him from the scene and avoiding further casualties, according to Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoiding
Verb
  • Write the honest sentence, take the quiet walk, and tell the truth without decorating it for comfort or turning it into a joke today.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
  • If a state takes a position contrary to Beijing’s interests, China can tighten the screws on it by withholding spare parts, software updates, and technicians, turning a commercial partnership into a tool of leverage.
    — Natalia Cote-Muñoz, Foreign Affairs, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning
Verb
  • Hegseth has already challenged that premise in ways both meaningful and petty, by circumventing the normal promotion process to push out officers far below him or to stall their advancements, and by firing senior officers set for even higher rank.
    — Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
  • More than a dozen states with sports betting bans on the books have sued Kalshi and Polymarket for allegedly circumventing state laws by running unlicensed, unregulated gambling platforms.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of circumventing
Verb
  • Aiyuk began veering away from the team’s rehabilitation protocol soon after the surgery, failing to communicate with the team — a recurrent theme between Aiyuk and the 49ers — and preferring to rehabilitate on his own.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • No matter the role, Zendaya has turned method dressing into an art form, consistently finding ways to nod to a character without veering into costume territory.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 23 July 2026
Definition of veering

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detoured
detouring
detours
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Cite this Entry

“Detouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detouring. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on detouring

Nglish: Translation of detouring for Spanish Speakers

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