DETOURS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

detours 1 of 2

noun

plural of detour

as in deviations

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

adherences

detours

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of detour

as in bypasses

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

as in deviates

to change one's course or direction we had to detour for a few miles around the section of highway under construction

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 detours

Noun

General Daily Insight for August 20, 2026 Today’s surprise detours may point us toward a better route. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026 Longer commutes, hills, uneven neighborhood streets, and weekend detours all make a stronger all-around bike easier to justify. — New Atlas, 19 Aug. 2026 For residents and visitors, the race has meant detours and closures across parts of downtown as the District prepares to host its first IndyCar event. — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 But Richardson-Whitfield believes those detours can ultimately lead you toward the career you were meant to have. — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Caltrans said there are at least five lanes open in each direction during the day and that there are currently no detours or major traffic shifts blocking the main roadways. — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 While the toll bridge is closed, westbound drivers will need to use the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and follow detours along Interstate 680, Highway 4 and Interstate 780. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The Georgia Department of Transportation is telling drivers to stay away from the area and follow detours. — Steve Gehlbach, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Drivers could face detours in the coming weeks as construction work continues for the Rail Trail Pedestrian Bridge project over Interstate 277. — Dj Simmons, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026

Verb

But Mitchell’s film also increasingly detours from the Spielberg playbook. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Sanguinetti’s tender film detours through the motions of time and eventually brings fleshiness to her presence. — Manahil Tahira, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026 The trail undulates a bit over rocky rises and occasionally detours into the woods, but experienced hikers shouldn't have any problems. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 7 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detours

Noun

The trivial and the momentous can be connected; small deviations can set us on larger paths.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
But there are tiny systemic deviations at small angles in that orientation, which in turn create the twisted structure.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of deviations

Verb

Abu Dhabi is expanding a pipeline to Fujairah that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, while some of its tankers are managing to slip through the waterway, helping ADNOC maintain and sometimes even exceed prewar flows.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Hackers can alter the prescribed sequence of message exchanges in a way that bypasses authentication requirements.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of bypasses

Verb

Walsh’s spaceship deviates from many of the vessels seen in Star Wars, as those ships are often dirty and grubby to emphasize their use and wear.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
And the days are coming when AI is meaningfully involved in clinical care, beyond just transcribing our own words, and the follow-up recommendation deviates from the standard of care.

— Frances Mei Hardin, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of deviates

Noun

These are potentially key traits for Emery this season, given the number of departures this summer, including Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa.

— Aston Villa, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Migrant departures from Tunisia have fallen sharply since the European Union and Tunisia signed a sweeping agreement in 2023.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of departures

Verb

The larger battery gives it the sort of range that makes an EV genuinely useful for long-distance driving, while the interior avoids some of the irritating touchscreen-heavy trends found elsewhere.

— Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
But governments are also aware that as ice melts in the coming decades, transit seasons could extend and additional routes can open up, such as a potential trans-polar route that avoids Russian coastlines altogether.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of avoids

Verb

Our fantasy football roundtable series turns its attention to running backs.

— Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
India has put $160 million behind a Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme, and Vietnam’s Decree 05/2025 turns recycled electronics into tradable EPR certificates, making compliance a revenue line rather than a cost.

— Rob Kaplan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of turns

Verb

Additionally, because the $50 co-payment circumvents Part D, the amount doesn’t count toward a beneficiary’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket maximum.

— Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
The exhibit mostly circumvents contextualizing the architectural details of the office, and rather aims to explicate the man who worked within it.

— Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2026

Definition of circumvents

Verb

In the video, testers are seated in a ride vehicle attached to a robotic arm that swings around nearly 360 degrees in the air.

— Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026
During one of the more graphic sequences, It4mi swings a blade at the woman, severing her arm and sending blood across the frame.

— Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of swings

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detouring

detours

detract

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Style

“Detours.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detours. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of detours

noun

verb

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