bypass

American  

[bahy-pas, -pahs] / ˈbaɪˌpæs, -ˌpɑs /

Or by-pass

noun

1. a road enabling motorists to avoid a city or other heavy traffic points or to drive around an obstruction.

2. a secondary pipe or other channel connected with a main passage, as for conducting a liquid or gas around a fixture, pipe, or appliance.

3. Electricity. shunt.

4. a surgical procedure in which a diseased or obstructed hollow organ is temporarily or permanently circumvented.

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verb (used with object)

bypasses, present (3rd person singular) bypassed, past participle, past bypast, past participle, past bypassing present participle

1. to avoid (an obstruction, city, etc.) by following a bypass.

2. to cause (fluid or gas) to follow a secondary pipe or bypass.

3. to neglect to consult or to ignore the opinion or decision of.

   He bypassed the foreman and took his grievance straight to the owner.

bypass British  

/ ˈbaɪˌpɑːs /

noun

1. a main road built to avoid a city or other congested area

2. any system of pipes or conduits for redirecting the flow of a liquid

3. a means of redirecting the flow of a substance around an appliance through which it would otherwise pass

4. surgery

   1. the redirection of blood flow, either to avoid a diseased blood vessel or in order to perform heart surgery See coronary bypass

   2. ( as modifier )

      bypass surgery

5. electronics

   1. an electrical circuit, esp one containing a capacitor, connected in parallel around one or more components, providing an alternative path for certain frequencies

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bypass capacitor

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verb

1. to go around or avoid (a city, obstruction, problem, etc)

2. to cause (traffic, fluid, etc) to go through a bypass

3. to proceed without reference to (regulations, a superior, etc); get round; avoid

bypass Scientific  

/ bī′păs′ /

1. A passage created surgically to divert the flow of blood or other bodily fluid or to circumvent an obstructed or diseased organ.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bypasser
  noun
• by-passer
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have bypast
  perfect
• has bypassed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has bypast
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have bypassed
  perfect
• has been bypassing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is bypassing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been bypassing
  perfect progressive
• bypassing
  participle
• am bypassing
  progressive 1st person singular
• bypasses
  singular 3rd person
• are bypassing
  progressive

Past

• had bypassed
  perfect
• had bypast
  perfect
• were bypassing
  progressive plural
• bypassed
  simple
• bypast
  participle
• had been bypassing
  perfect progressive
• was bypassing
  progressive singular
• bypassed
  participle
• bypast
  simple

Future

• will bypass
  simple
• will have bypast
  perfect
• will have bypassed
  perfect
• will be bypassing
  progressive
• will have been bypassing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bypass

1840–50; apparently back formation from by-passage; see by (adj.), passage ¹

Explanation

When you bypass something, you avoid it, go around it, or ignore it. You might wish you could just read the books assigned in your English class and bypass the papers and exams. You can bypass something physically, like when you bypass the busiest intersections in town during rush hour, driving on smaller streets instead. You can also bypass things figuratively: political candidates often bypass hard questions from reporters, and big businesses sometimes find ways to bypass some of the taxes they owe. As a noun, a bypass is either an alternative road or route; or a heart operation that allows blood flow when an artery is blocked.

Example Sentences

The police said they were aware of traffic on the Sydenham Bypass and were advising road users to allow extra time for their journeys.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Patients in both cohorts were randomized to undergo Bypass or Endo procedures.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

Around the same time, Lahaina Bypass was closed after “an apparent flareup of the Lahaina fire,” Maui County officials said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2023

At the same time, the fire department closes the Lahaina Bypass road because of the fire.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2023

And precisely the same word—pathetic—came up between them in the matter of Miss Bypass.

From If Winter Comes by Hutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)

Related Words

• circumvent
• ignore
• neglect
• omit
• sidestep
• skirt