Synonyms of detours

detours 1 of 2

noun

plural of detour

as in deviations

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

• deviations
• departures
• deflections
• diversions
• divergences
• divergencies
• divagations
• regressions
• reversions
• retrogressions

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• adherences

detours

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of detour

1

as in bypasses

to avoid by going around

we had to detour the construction zone in order to get to the stadium

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bypasses
• avoids
• circumvents
• escapes
• circumnavigates
• skirts
• evades
• eludes
• shakes
• shuns
• eschews
• dodges
• flees
• leapfrogs
• ducks

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• faces
• meets
• confronts
• seeks
• pursues
• accepts
• embraces
• welcomes
• courts

2

as in deviates

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

• deviates
• turns
• swings
• veers
• swerves
• diverges
• wheels
• turns off
• zigzags
• tacks
• sheers
• turns back
• doubles (back)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of detours

Noun

Those in the area should also be advised of road and bike trail closures, as well as related detours. — Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026

The city now has just two crossings over Indian Creek, Stear said, and when the Swan Falls intersection is blocked by trains, emergency services are looking at detours spanning 2 miles or more. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026

Major weekend closures and lane restrictions are set to hit several popular metro Phoenix freeways, and the Arizona Department of Transportation warned drivers to use detours as needed. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Drivers on their way to Louder Than Life may want to consider detours if their route involves southbound Interstate 65. — Ruby Grisin, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2026

Harder to account for, at least in the abstract, are the film’s strange detours into the life of a picture-perfect Tulsa family, whose parents are played by William Jackson Harper and Devyn Tyler. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026

Come for the deep dive into mankind’s favorite building material, stay for his detours into everything from Hallmark screenwriting tropes to the lost Yuletide recordings of the late DMX. — A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

There’s never going to be optimal city management of road closures and detours to everyone’s liking, no matter how many public hearings of driver angst and outcry take place. — Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026

Lovelace and Southern have compellingly stitched together interviews, performance clips, audience reactions, and a few detours into the lives of individual fans. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026

Verb

Fitzharris detours into the pseudoscience of the day, which included optography, the attempt to photograph the last image scalded onto a dead person’s retinas. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

The bridge closure, which went into effect this week and is expected to last 14 months, detours six different bus routes in the area, relying on the adjacent Walnut and Chestnut Street passes while the Market Street Bridge is closed. — Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

But Mitchell’s film also increasingly detours from the Spielberg playbook. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Sanguinetti’s tender film detours through the motions of time and eventually brings fleshiness to her presence. — Manahil Tahira, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026

The trail undulates a bit over rocky rises and occasionally detours into the woods, but experienced hikers shouldn't have any problems. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 7 June 2026