detour
Americannoun
-
detours
plural
-
a roundabout or circuitous way or course, especially one used temporarily when the main route is closed.
-
an indirect or roundabout procedure, path, etc.
verb (used without object)
-
detours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detoured,
past participle, past
-
detouring
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
detours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
detoured,
past participle, past
-
detouring
present participle
-
to cause to make a detour.
-
to make a detour around.
We detoured Birmingham.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
detoursimple
-
detourssimple
-
have detouredperfect
-
has detouredperfect
-
am detouringprogressive
-
are detouringprogressive
-
is detouringprogressive
-
have been detouringperfect progressive
-
has been detouringperfect progressive
Past
-
detouredsimple
-
had detouredperfect
-
was detouringprogressive
-
were detouringprogressive
-
had been detouringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of detour
1730–40 < French détour, Old French destor, derivative of destorner to turn aside, equivalent to des- de- + torner to turn
Explanation
A detour is a longer, less direct way to get where you're going. A traffic accident sometimes means you have to take a detour to get home. When signs direct drivers to take a detour, it's usually because of road work or an emergency that's blocking traffic. You can also detour, or take an unexpected route, while you're running errands, stopping at your favorite bakery for a cookie before you continue on. The French détour comes from the verb destorner, "turn aside."
Vocabulary lists containing detour
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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Barbara Bush (1925 - 2018) Tribute List
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Shiloh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Caltrans said it has notified Google Maps and Apple Maps about the closure and the designated detour route.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
One star recognises high-quality cooking, two stars indicate excellent cooking worth a detour, while three stars are reserved for exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“When my paycheck lands, it takes a detour through bitcoin.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
And if you detour to the second-floor library, you’ll get the best view of a banana-yellow starfighter from “The Phantom Menace” that dangles over the lobby with R2-D2 perched in the tandem seat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
When he sailed away she made a detour and came down to the river again and drove along parallel with him, the car in low gear.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
In the new version, stripped of detours and detail, the same period occupies only a few pages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Whether we planned for them or not, the road is filled with obstacles, detours and dead ends.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
“The Odyssey” is a saga with half a dozen detours and one destination, Ithaca, Odysseus’ kingdom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Land” regains traction when it returns to Ireland and to its mythic theme, which meanders from the Neolithic era to the 20th century, with detours to more fantastical regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Slowly, with many halts and detours, the Costas’ boat drew nearer the fens, that wide and never fully mapped wilderness of huge skies and endless marshland in Eastern Anglia.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Parton "detoured the whole entourage to come around over there to where we were and then she knelt down to talk to Heather for a minute".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It detoured a few thousand miles away to Utah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
Finding myself nearby, I’d detoured to have a look — and there was Mr. Khan, at first looking at me curiously and then waving me over to join him.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Drivers detoured 5 miles and bought “West Seattle Island” swag.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2024
Now there are more cars on the road around us, and all traffic is detoured right.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
A cost-benefit analysis of detouring for a lower price per gallon.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
She glanced at him once with what looked like a hint of contemptuousness and ended without detouring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Yet, it’s disappointment that Perkins serves up most frequently in “The Monkey,” detouring from every wide-open chance to showcase depth and humanity in favor of juvenile humor and gross-out splatter gags.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2025
I figured out that they were detouring traffic off exit ramps prior to the bridge on each side.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
The bus stopped in front of a police officer, who was detouring traffic.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
