detour
English · Thesaurus
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detour¹
- /ˈdiː.tɔː(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈdiː.tʊə(ɹ)/ UK
- /dɪˈtʊə/ UK, obsolete
- /dɪˈtɔː/ UK, obsolete
- /ˈdi.toɹ/ US
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ), -ʊə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Borrowed from French détour, from détourner (“turn away”).
noun detours
- A diversion or deviation from one's original route. On the third day I made a detour westward to avoid the country of the Band-lu, as I did not care to be detained by a meeting with To-jo.
- A temporary alternative route available to motorists away from the usual route due to a closure for repairs, dealing with an accident, or some event rendering the usual route unusable.
verb detours · detouring · detoured
- To make a detour. Petrelis detoured away from southern activities to visit Chicago and help draw attention to lesbian, gay and AIDS issues during the Illinois primary March 16.
- To direct or send on a detour.
Detour²
proper noun
- An unincorporated community in Maryland, Carroll County, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: roundabout way, by-pass, sidestep, turning, diversion, deflect, deflection, turn, divert, deviation, departure, trip, distract, misappropriation, hijacking, hijack
Translations
Every language
noun diversion or deviation
| Español | desvío, detur |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 迂回路 ukairo |
| 中文 | 繞行 /绕行 ràoxíng, 彎路 /弯路 wānlù |
| Português | desvio, distracção |
| Français | détour, déviation |
| Deutsch | Umleitung, Umweg |
| Italiano | deviazione |
| Ελληνικά | παράκαμψη parákampsi |
| Русский | объе́зд obʺjézd, обхо́д obxód, око́льный путь okólʹnyj putʹ, крю́к krjúk |
| עברית | מעקף ma'akaf |
noun temporary alternative route to the main route
| Español | detur |
|---|
verb intransitive: to make a detour
| 日本語 | 迂回する ukai suru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 繞道 /绕道 ràodào |
| Português | desviar |
| Français | détourner |
| Deutsch | einen Umweg machen |
| Русский | объезжа́ть obʺjezžátʹ, объе́хать obʺjéxatʹ |
Talk about this word "detour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/detour. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. detour. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/detour "detour." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/detour.Cite this
@misc{detour_2026,
title = {detour},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/detour},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
