: 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
Wilson Luna, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Even though the story took Ellie and Joel from Boston all the way to Salt Lake City, with many detours along the way, its concern was almost always about the two of them.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
Darrell Hofheinz, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Henry faced a choice whether to detour to Puerto Rico or to one of a number of neighboring Caribbean countries whose leaders have been pushing for his resignation.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detour
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Noun
Building a business can be like running an obstacle course—full of hurdles, traps and detours that can halt your momentum.
—Wilson Luna, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Even though the story took Ellie and Joel from Boston all the way to Salt Lake City, with many detours along the way, its concern was almost always about the two of them.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
Because the area is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, the roadblock effectively divides the town in two, forcing through-traffic to detour across bridges into West Palm Beach and back.
—Darrell Hofheinz, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025
Henry faced a choice whether to detour to Puerto Rico or to one of a number of neighboring Caribbean countries whose leaders have been pushing for his resignation.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 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 13 Apr. 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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