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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bypass
to avoid by going around
we had to detour the construction zone in order to get to the stadium
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for 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
During the bridge closure, motorists are expected to be detoured to the U.S. 8 bridge at Taylors Falls and the Minnesota 36 bridge at Oak Park Heights.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for detour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
Noun
-
Any deviation, good or bad, is likely to play out on the margins.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The intervention and reasoning — that a powerful defendant could be too occupied with official duties to face accountability for alleged crimes — marked an extraordinary deviation from long-standing Justice Department norms, which typically afford independence to federal prosecutors.—
Eric Tucker,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Expanding categorical exclusions would allow low-risk projects to bypass NEPA’s unnecessary analysis requirements.—
James Broughel,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
-
The complaint, which was joined by Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, argued that Trump was trying to bypass the U.S. Constitution to deny citizenship to tens of thousands of unborn children.—
Melissa Santos,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But staying focused on your long-term goals and strategy always outperforms quick, short-term wins that might deviate from your vision.—
Christoffer Bouet,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Even before her tweets resurfaced, the Emilia Pérez star had begun deviating from the film’s standard promotional press campaign by chiding Torres’s social-media strategy.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
McBride declined to comment on whether the White House was involved in the Tate Brothers' departure from Romania.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Yet there’s also been a lack of leadership within the Bianconeri side, especially more so since the departure of Danilo, who fell down the pecking order under Motta at the beginning of the season.—
Emmet Gates,
Forbes,
27 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
-
In the ever-changing realm of college athletics, a newish position turns 3 years old this June.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Moments after an emphatic two-handed jam in the closing seconds that sealed Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 68-61 upset of Harvard-Westlake on Friday night in Studio City, Tyran Stokes clenched both fists, turned toward his teammates and screamed at the top of his lungs.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 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
-
Will the Vikings swing for the fences on a young and proven guard like Trey Smith?—
Alec Lewis,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
-
Seton Hall got a fortunate bounce on a missed dunk attempt and swung the ball into the corner for the game-tying 3 from Dylan Addae-Wusu.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share