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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detour
Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
The El Chapo detour Penn’s attempt to leverage his celebrity into geopolitical relevance did not stop in Caracas.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
Visitors will be detoured to the Piedmont Road exit, which will become a rerouted entrance with a temporary two-way traffic signal.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detour
Noun
In a show all about risk-taking and its (mostly destructive) consequences, both admit that making such a detour from its origins is itself a high-stakes gamble.
—Verb
More than a dozen bus routes will be detoured due to road closures along the marathon route, SacRT said.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
Noun
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This followed a dizzying number of deviations by Greene from the party line, dating back to early summer—foremost were her very public calls for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files.—
-
The Ramona Community Planning Group on May 1 unanimously approved a minor deviation that allows changes to Spirit of Joy’s original major use permit for their church project at the site, which fell through in 2021.—
Verb
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Similar to fellow Arsenal summer signing Eberechi Eze — another keen chess player — the assumption would be that the skills taken from the board game have helped Zubimendi be a step ahead in enticing and then bypassing opposition players.—
-
In the mid-20th century, egg coffee was invented as a creative way to bypass milk shortages of the time.—
Verb
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The resolution would authorize the state to redraw its congressional district maps in the middle of the 10-year cycle, deviating from the current practice of redistricting only after the federal census every 10 years.—
-
So don’t expect Bowden to deviate from his roster-building plan now, even though USC might have immediate needs at several spots, such as defensive line, linebacker, the secondary and receiver.—
Noun
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So many questions remain unanswered about his messy departure from Nottingham Forest in September last year.—
-
If time permits, lock your home upon departure and disconnect utilities and appliances.—
Verb
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In Washington, the president believes that might makes right, that the courts are simply speed bumps, not stop signs — that democracy is a nuisance to be circumvented.—
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The unilateral interceptions could complicate Ukraine peace talks between the US and Russia, which is said to use a fleet of shadow tankers to circumvent Western sanctions.—
Verb
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Researchers in Germany are set to turn green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics.—
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Together, these trends have turned industrial space into a cornerstone of national logistics and digital capacity.—
Verb
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To avoid this dilemma, my aunt always travels with a portable power bank like this slim option from Anker.—
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Learn how to properly thaw frozen pipes, and how to avoid them in the first place.—
Verb
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At the end of Monday's live Atlas demonstration, the humanoid prototype swung its arms in a theatrical gesture to introduce a static model of the new product version of Atlas, which looked slightly different and was blue in color.—
-
The Chiefs’ special teams also never swung the field with a return for a touchdown.—
Cite this Entry
“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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