DETOURS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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adherences

detours

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of detour

as in bypasses

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

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

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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 detours

Noun

Since then, the construction has remained a daily challenge for students returning for the fall semester, many of whom are adjusting their routines to account for detours, closed walkways and heavier traffic. — Usa Today, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 The university has a map on its website that shows the construction projects and the detours students and staff may have to take. — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026 The Mother was the destination, but the slaps, pineapple, goat, and countless detours made the journey worthwhile. — Erin Strecker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Aug. 2026 General Daily Insight for August 20, 2026 Today’s surprise detours may point us toward a better route. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026 Longer commutes, hills, uneven neighborhood streets, and weekend detours all make a stronger all-around bike easier to justify. — New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026 But Richardson-Whitfield believes those detours can ultimately lead you toward the career you were meant to have. — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Caltrans said there are at least five lanes open in each direction during the day and that there are currently no detours or major traffic shifts blocking the main roadways. — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 While the toll bridge is closed, westbound drivers will need to use the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and follow detours along Interstate 680, Highway 4 and Interstate 780. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detours

Noun

Those experiences can create capability, yet typical screening processes may interpret them primarily as gaps or deviations.

— Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of deviations

Verb

Flit bypasses this by using aerospace-grade structural epoxies.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
Abu Dhabi is expanding a pipeline to Fujairah that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, while some of its tankers are managing to slip through the waterway, helping ADNOC maintain and sometimes even exceed prewar flows.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of bypasses

Verb

Walsh’s spaceship deviates from many of the vessels seen in Star Wars, as those ships are often dirty and grubby to emphasize their use and wear.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
And the days are coming when AI is meaningfully involved in clinical care, beyond just transcribing our own words, and the follow-up recommendation deviates from the standard of care.

— Frances Mei Hardin, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of deviates

Noun

Additionally, rigid systems penalize career reinvention or past departures, and fail to create pathways for skilled former employees to return.

— Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 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 departures

Verb

The outdoors become additional living space Lazime’s team also avoids installing air-conditioning whenever possible—instead, this home relies on ceiling fans in the warmer months.

— Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 1 Sep. 2026
Aggregators typically disclose this information in their search filters, and knowing it in advance avoids confusion on arrival.

— Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoids

Verb

The policy semantics and how a mandate propagates once delegation turns multi-hop, machine-initiated and cross-organizational remain implementation problems.

— Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Killceañera, which turns a quinceañera into an event in which a teen takes revenge on her bullies, will feature an outdoor performer lip-syncing a song co-written by Murdy and Slash from a balcony.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of turns

Verb

Additionally, because the $50 co-payment circumvents Part D, the amount doesn’t count toward a beneficiary’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

— Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
The exhibit mostly circumvents contextualizing the architectural details of the office, and rather aims to explicate the man who worked within it.

— Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026

Definition of circumvents

Verb

In the video, testers are seated in a ride vehicle attached to a robotic arm that swings around nearly 360 degrees in the air.

— Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026
During one of the more graphic sequences, It4mi swings a blade at the woman, severing her arm and sending blood across the frame.

— Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of swings

Browse Nearby Words

detouring

detours

detract

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Style

“Detours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detours. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of detours

noun

verb

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