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
Luckily, his Aunt May (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) happens to be heading to work and offers to make a detour to drop him off for his first day of high school. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025 But if his life has taken a wild detour from that point, his future business success isn’t the only reason the evening sticks out in his mind. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
Verb
WisDOT encouraged drivers to detour around it, using the southbound exit ramp to Highland Road, Port Washington Road, and the County Line Road entrance ramp to I-43 southbound. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024 Grand River Avenue, Jefferson Avenue and Gratiot Avenue will all be closed and detoured on Thanksgiving day. Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for detour 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
Noun
  • Five-Year Trend: February 4 has trended warmer in recent years, with the most extreme deviation occurring in 2020 when the temperature reached 57°F, 18.9°F above the historical norm.
    Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
  • There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • De minimis has helped propel Temu and Shein’s explosive growth in the U.S. by allowing the companies to bypass taxes on low-value shipments, and sustain their rock-bottom prices on everything from shoes and clothes to furniture and electronics.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Glutathione that's administered intravenously bypasses the digestive system and has direct access to the bloodstream, but Patel said this method also has been shown to have minimal absorption.
    Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • By clearly codifying into law the objectives and authorities of our international assistance programs in a bipartisan fashion, Congress would ensure that foreign assistance will not deviate from its core purpose nor fail to deliver value for Americans.
    Ted Yoho, TIME, 13 Feb. 2025
  • This prisoner exchange appears to deviate from the typical scenario, whereby Russian and American hostages would be released simultaneously and identified shortly before or immediately after the swap.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • But there's little question that President Donald Trump's public comments appearing to accommodate Russia's President Vladimir Putin over a potential Ukraine war peace deal are a major departure from Joe Biden's confrontational stance against Putin.
    Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Breaking New Ground in Healthcare Parallel Health’s approach represents a significant departure from traditional healthcare models.
    WWD, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The legal battle gained further attention when, on February 7, a federal appeals court ruled on a procedural matter in the investigation, which had initially considered whether McMahon had circumvented WWE's internal controls to hide these allegations.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Other countries under sanctions – Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela – have previously employed clandestine shipping networks to circumvent international scrutiny and sanctions.
    Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Travis Kelce consoled by Taylor Swift as retirement rumors swirl ➤ Chiefs' run at Super Bowl history turns into epic embarrassment: The blowout loss to the Eagles means no team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls.
    Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Attempting to turn Roan’s call to support artists — especially those who have been put through the wringer of the industry only to later be spit out and discarded — into an ego competition reflects an intentional disregarding of the larger structural failings plaguing the music industry.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • In a post on X, the NYPD asked people to avoid the area as the investigation proceeded.
    Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2025
  • While Janice avoids even visiting Eric in prison, she is torn between cleaning out his room and grappling with the role of faith and religion.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The Twins swung a minor trade on Thursday, trading utilityman Michael Helman to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations.
    Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The Mavs swung another trade Tuesday, acquiring noted Celtics killer Caleb Martin from Philadelphia.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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