: 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
William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 10 May 2025
Arriving at your destination on time but having your luggage take a detour is not the best way to start a trip.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
Unable to cross into Fond Parisien to get to the capital, truck drivers are detouring through the narrow ridges of the southeast’s Chaîne de La Selle, Haiti’s highest mountain.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detour
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Noun
Driver coming from westbound Highway 50 will have to take a more circuitous detour, which involves taking the Enterprise Boulevard off-ramp, then heading onto Industrial Avenue, then to Harbor Boulevard.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 10 May 2025
Arriving at your destination on time but having your luggage take a detour is not the best way to start a trip.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 8 May 2025
Verb
General traffic is being detoured between Kellogg Boulevard and Grand Avenue, though West Seventh in that stretch remains open for local business access, with one lane open in each direction.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
Unable to cross into Fond Parisien to get to the capital, truck drivers are detouring through the narrow ridges of the southeast’s Chaîne de La Selle, Haiti’s highest mountain.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 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 19 May. 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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