bypass

or by-pass

[ bahy-pas, -pahs ]

/ ˈbaɪˌpæs, -ˌpɑs /

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See synonyms for: bypass / bypassing / bypast on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

Electricity. shunt (def. 9).

a surgical procedure in which a diseased or obstructed hollow organ is temporarily or permanently circumvented.Compare coronary bypass, gastric bypass, heart-lung machine, intestinal bypass.

verb (used with object), by·passed or (Rare) by·past; by·passed or by·past; by·pass·ing.

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

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

to neglect to consult or to ignore the opinion or decision of: He bypassed the foreman and took his grievance straight to the owner.

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Origin of bypass

1840–50; apparently back formation from by-passage;see by (adj.), passage¹

OTHER WORDS FROM bypass

bypasser, by-passer, noun

Words nearby bypass

BYOB, BYOD, by one's bootstraps, by oneself, by one's wits, bypass, bypass capacitor, bypass engine, bypass ratio, bypast, by-path

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bypass in a sentence

Last year, after bypass surgery at the age of 40, I came to this pond in a wetsuit on the front edge of April.
Open-Water Swimming and Other Acts of Civil Disobedience|jversteegh|August 25, 2021|Outside Online
Four groins will be placed south of Wisconsin Street to test their effectiveness, along with a sand bypass system to transport pumped sand to beaches via a network of underground pipelines.
North County Report: Oceanside Moves Ahead on Groins Without Mayor’s Support|Kayla Jimenez|August 18, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Oceanside city leaders voted to test beach groins and a sand bypass system in an effort to save the city’s beaches at a recent Council meeting.
North County Report: Oceanside Moves Ahead on Groins Without Mayor’s Support|Kayla Jimenez|August 18, 2021|Voice of San Diego
My father had a heart attack in his late 50s and, later, bypass surgery.
Food was my life — until a heart attack at 41 almost killed me|Rob Petrone|March 3, 2021|Washington Post

The most energy-efficient of these is the bypass humidifier, which extracts the existing moisture from the house’s ductwork and collects it in a tray, where it is evaporated and redistributed.
The best humidifier: Fight dry air (and a dry nose) all winter long|PopSci Commerce Team|January 15, 2021|Popular-Science
It has allowed the project to bypass normal due diligence and environmental impact assessments.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution|Nina Lakhani|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2005, DOC paid $37,244 for one coronary bypass surgery and $32,897 for one kidney transplant surgery.
Yes, Chelsea Manning Should Get Hormone Replacement Therapy on Our Dime|Brandy Zadrozny|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Problems so big it only makes common sense for Bieber to bypass any plea offer and move forward with a trial.
How Justin Bieber Can Beat His DUI|Eboni K. Williams|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With that audience in mind, I hope to hear how the President will bypass Washington gridlock and get some things done.
'Crossfire' Predicts the State of the Union||January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First, Obama offered that there is “no short-cut to democracy” and that he could not utilize executive orders to bypass Congress.
Obama: A President Tests His Limits|Ron Christie|January 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the bypass is pulled wide open, the motors beyond do not turn; for the oil fails to reach them.
The Great Airship.|F. S. Brereton
At will we pass it into our distant motors, allowing some to escape back in this direction through a bypass.
The Great Airship.|F. S. Brereton
Dark slowed and entered the cloverleaf that took him onto the bypass expressway.
Rebels of the Red Planet|Charles Louis Fontenay
For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God.
The World English Bible (WEB), The Old Testament, Complete|Various
Driving the loose horses at full run, the women and children raced toward that bypass.
The Story of Geronimo|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for bypass

bypass

/ (ˈbaɪˌpɑːs) /

noun

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

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

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

surgery

the redirection of blood flow, either to avoid a diseased blood vessel or in order to perform heart surgerySee coronary bypass
(as modifier)bypass surgery

electronics

an electrical circuit, esp one containing a capacitor, connected in parallel around one or more components, providing an alternative path for certain frequencies
(as modifier)a bypass capacitor

verb -passes, -passing, -passed or -past (tr)

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

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012