: a deviation from a direct course or the usual procedure
especially
: a roundabout way temporarily replacing part of a route
detoured; detouring; detours
: to proceed by a detour
detour around road construction
1
: to send by a circuitous route
detour traffic around an accident
2
: to avoid by going around : bypass
detour an accident site
Examples of detour in a Sentence
Noun
After a number of unexpected detours, we finally arrived at our destination.
The little restaurant is worth a detour.
We had to make a detour around the heaviest traffic.
We took a detour from the main streets.
The road is closed ahead, so traffic will have to follow the detour.
Verb
We detoured around the heaviest traffic.
A police officer was detouring traffic around the scene of the accident.
Traffic will be detoured to 72nd Street.
Recent Examples on the Web
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
For the premiere episode of the show’s final season, McBride came up with his most audacious stylistic detour yet: a stand-alone prologue set in 1862 that depicts one of the Gemstones’ ancestors conning his way into a chaplain position during the Civil War.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Isaac Gonzalez of Slow Down Sacramento has argued that traffic should be completely detoured during market hours to avoid such conflicts.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detour
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Noun
Gaga then turned down the tempo and started making jazz and soundtrack fare, with only occasional and fairly minor pop detours.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
For the premiere episode of the show’s final season, McBride came up with his most audacious stylistic detour yet: a stand-alone prologue set in 1862 that depicts one of the Gemstones’ ancestors conning his way into a chaplain position during the Civil War.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
Westbound traffic on Southwest Seventh Street will be detoured northbound or southbound at Southwest 12th Avenue.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Isaac Gonzalez of Slow Down Sacramento has argued that traffic should be completely detoured during market hours to avoid such conflicts.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detour
Cite this Entry
“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detour. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
detour
1 of 2 noun
de·tour
ˈdē-ˌtu̇(ə)r 
also di-ˈtu̇(ə)r
: a departure from a direct course or the usual procedure
especially
: a roundabout way temporarily replacing a regular route
detour
2 of 2 verb
: to send or proceed by a detour
detour traffic around an accident
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