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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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

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

How to use bypass in a sentence

Floating in the fog of privilege, all sorts of voguish developments in language control bypassed me.
Warning: This Column Will Offend You|Michael Moynihan|April 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While most industries have added jobs over the past three years, the recovery has largely bypassed the government sector.
American Austerity Fail|Ilana Glazer|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Michael Grunwald's The New New Deal is an important book in danger of being bypassed by events.
David's Bookclub: The New New Deal|David Frum|December 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Room canceled, fee bypassed, integrity (virtually) unharmed.
12 Hotel Secrets by Hotel Staffs, From Minibar ‘Refills’ to Ritz-Carlton Largesse|Abby Haglage|August 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

In the last 24 hours, two boats bypassed Lampedusa and limped into the port of Catania on the Sicilian island.
Italy's Refugee Camp Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Somehow, the signal wire had been bypassed, to keep the operators from knowing the drone control was inoperative.
The Scarlet Lake Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
A check on diverging evolutions, they had called it—uncounted thousands of suns without planets, bypassed.
An Empty Bottle|Mari Wolf
To the whites' disappointment, the Indians had bypassed Saukenuk, doubtless aware that the militia had come out against them.
Shaman|Robert Shea
Then the bespectacled customs official who had bypassed quarantine for Black Eyes, got in touch with the authorities.
Black Eyes and the Daily Grind|Milton Lesser
Valleyview had been bypassed quite some time ago by one of the new super-duper highways.
The Servant Problem|Robert F. Young

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

Scientific definitions for bypass

bypass

[ bī′păs′ ]

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

bypass

or by-pass

Origin of bypass

OTHER WORDS FROM bypass

Words related to bypass

How to use bypass in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bypass

Scientific definitions for bypass