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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detour
Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The Scientology detour began one afternoon last year when Swhileyy walked past the church’s Hollywood complex and met Streets LA — a prolific critic of the organization.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2026
The new law simply detoured and condensed the speeding into a shorter distance, which is ridiculous.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detour
Noun
Here are six worth building a detour around.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The Scientology detour began one afternoon last year when Swhileyy walked past the church’s Hollywood complex and met Streets LA — a prolific critic of the organization.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Traffic will be detoured on Cedar Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard to University Avenue to Marion Street to westbound I-94.
—Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 13 Apr. 2026
The new law simply detoured and condensed the speeding into a shorter distance, which is ridiculous.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for detour
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detour
Noun
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The scale and frequency of the deviations align more naturally with magnetic restructuring in the solar wind than with extreme plasma density shifts.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
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Because servers can’t tolerate more than minor deviations, UPS electronics also clean up low-quality power, such as voltage spikes or sags and frequency deviation.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver of the black Ford Fusion was headed south on northwest 12th Avenue at a high rate of speed near northwest 188th Street when the driver tried to bypass slow-moving traffic by driving on the swale.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Under former President Jacob Zuma’s administration, a 9,600 MW plan tied to Russia’s Rosatom was struck down by the courts for bypassing parliamentary oversight.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The CosmicFlows catalogue, organized by astronomers in France and Hawaii, is a record of measurements of the 'peculiar' motions of galaxies, or rather, their motions that deviate from that expected by the continuous expansion of space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 May 2026
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As part of its IDEM permit, BP is required to report any emissions that deviate from the standards in the Clean Air Act, according to the agency statement.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Elsewhere, the Bucks have already filled their opening after the departure of Doc Rivers, a former Magic coach, with the hiring of Taylor Jenkins.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 May 2026
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One of those scholars was Bell, the professor whose departure the students were lamenting.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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But the latest administrative checks, amid intensifying scrutiny, come after Italian media revealed internal emails that were framed as evidence that the Biennale organizers had circumvented sanctions against Russia to facilitate Russia’s participation.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Search and rescue team members circumvented the gate by riding a dirt bike and were able to locate the injured man, officials said.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This was supposed to be the breakthrough; the moment the Magic finally turned the corner after years of rebuilding, retooling and resetting.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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Many people have turned a living room or office into a temporary bedroom to avoid stairs while healing.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Wrobleski is scheduled to start Sunday, as the Dodgers try to avoid a three-game sweep.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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Instead, remove selective branches from the center of the plant to ensure good airflow and avoid mildew.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Chevron's refiners swung to a loss of $817 million compared with a profit of $325 million in last year's quarter, due to the lower margins, the timing effects on financial hedges and higher transportation costs.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
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But two surprise special election victories in March buoyed Democratic hopes that Florida’s Republicans and independents could swing sharply left this year.—
Shauna Muckle,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detour.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detour. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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