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
Beyoncé Less pleading and more of a warning, Beyoncé’s version was a far detour from how Dolly sang the original version, which Dolly respected. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 For a detour, drivers traveling west should exit at the Northwest 12th Avenue ramp and turn left, then turn right on Northwest Seventh Street. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
Sanguinetti’s tender film detours through the motions of time and eventually brings fleshiness to her presence. — Manahil Tahira, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026 More to Explore From Grand Marais, adventurous travelers can detour inland along the 57-mile Gunflint Trail, a scenic byway leading toward the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. — Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 7 Aug. 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
  • Genetic deviations that impair the processing of alcohol turn out to be associated with lower rates of alcoholism.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The price of call options betting on a one standard-deviation move – contracts with a roughly 16% chance of making money – are in the 70th percentile of the past year, according to Nations Indexes data.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of deviation
Verb
  • While not a common path for elite Japanese amateurs, bypassing the NPB draft would not be unprecedented.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Recent incidents, like OpenAI's models bypassing controls and Anthropic's models accessing real systems, underscore this threat.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of bypass
Verb
  • City officials previously said that the Boveys deviated substantially from the initial plans.
    — Susan Sarkauskas, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The artisans stay true to the original colors and designs of the park — never deviating in 70 years.
    — Carole Horst, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of deviate
Noun
  • Katseye’s departure from Daisy Chain Fields comes while the group, which debuted as a six-member group, remains down two singers.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Compared, say, with the 1990s here, the suite of departures to points near and far is formidable.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of departure
Verb
  • For a while, Michael believed that Leah would somehow try to circumvent the school’s vaccine requirements.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz remains in place, secondary sanctions are being tightened, and pressure is being increased on countries and financial networks that have allowed Tehran to circumvent previous restrictions.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of circumvent
Verb
  • After successful demonstration in ground and airborne trials, the company turned its attention to a GravNav, a system that senses changes in gravity fields.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There’s no better time to start turning your closet over for the season ahead.
    — Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of turn
Verb
  • The second, Kiyosaki’s actual father, served as an example of what to avoid.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
  • When Mica went to her sister Sierra’s home to avoid these situations, Miller allegedly threatened to show up at the house armed.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of avoid
Verb
  • Instead, the chief executive said Hilton's middle- and upper-middle segments have swung from posting negative numbers to growing at rates as high as 6%.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Slingshot surges forward as the tach swings toward redline, the exhaust emitting a guttural howl.
    — William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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