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

In the U.S., the market for weight-loss pills is expected to largely be what is called “direct pay,” meaning that Americans bypass the health-insurance system and pay out of pocket for slightly lower-priced medications.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Then, in February 2019, Buckingham suffered a heart attack and had to undergo triple bypass surgery.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

In the four years since the war began, Russia's digital Iron Curtain has become increasingly hard to bypass.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The company operates a biometric identity platform that allows passengers to bypass the traditional airport security line.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The three Witchlings looked around for a way to bypass the Shroudeds and still follow the prints, but they were bordered by Oso Mountain on one side and a marsh on the other.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

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