bypass

Or by-pass

[bahy-pas, -pahs]

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.

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

/ 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

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

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

Other Word Forms

• bypasser noun
• by-passer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bypass¹

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

Example Sentences

He was able to bypass the safety measures which were already in place by saying that the details were for a story he was writing.

From Los Angeles Times

But the company, which is being sued by Leavenworth, wants to bypass permitting required by the city and open the facility, as it did in California City.

From Los Angeles Times

Moreno is expected to determine this week whether to retain Minasian and manager Ron Washington, who underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in June but would like to return.

From Los Angeles Times

When this was executed properly, it allowed them to get up the pitch, bypassing Motherwell's press.

From BBC

One elderly man with dementia was able, several times, to bypass code-access security doors, which are meant to ensure vulnerable people stayed safely on their own floor.

From BBC

Related Words

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