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)

bypassed, bypast, bypassed, bypast, bypassing

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

• by-passer noun
• bypasser noun

Etymology

Origin of bypass

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

Example Sentences

Drug companies didn’t depend on selling them through bariatric surgeons or nutritionists, but bypassed specialists through widespread public marketing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Christmas and early new year have barely passed us and the spirit of goodwill has certainly bypassed football management!

From BBC

Evans proposed funding going directly to schools, bypassing councils who he said "top-sliced" the cash.

From BBC

The former premier has previously undergone bypass surgeries for heart problems.

From Barron's

A significant benefit of the deal is the ability to bypass bottlenecks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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