detouring

verb

present participle of detour
1
as in bypassing
to avoid by going around we had to detour the construction zone in order to get to the stadium

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deviating
to change one's course or direction we had to detour for a few miles around the section of highway under construction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of detouring Carriers started detouring away from Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 Westbound lanes of Interstate 80 were closed Sunday near Colfax, with traffic detouring through Secret Town, following a diesel spill from a semi-tanker. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 24 May 2026 All eastbound trips near the intersection were detouring as delays were expected, and students at Golden Valley and Bowman high schools were moved to different pick-up points. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 Brown apologized for detouring off-topic again. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026 Both Ball and Norman danced around the question, detouring to talk about everything from the First Amendment, partnerships among local law enforcement agencies, chronic staffing issues, possession of body cameras and protesters' right to record and report after an incident. — Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 19 Feb. 2026 No detouring from the course that has got them to this point. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026 For three months, the party scouted out a path across the desert, frequently detouring around impassable canyons and mountains. — Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detouring
  1. bypassing
  2. deviating
  3. avoiding
  4. turning
  5. circumventing
  6. veering
Verb
  • The latest filings suggest that freeze is thawing — though much money is still bypassing the Democratic National Committee.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Mercedes promoted Antonelli directly to the FIA Formula 2 Championship (bypassing Formula 3) with Prema Racing for the 2024 season.
    — Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bypassing
Verb
  • The complication shows the moon phases for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, with a 135-tooth driving wheel that drastically enhances accuracy, deviating by just one day every 122 years.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026
  • But maybe a line between North and South Carolina, between Tennessee and Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi then deviating south to divide Louisiana and Arkansas.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of deviating
Verb
  • In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Preserve local input while avoiding a patchwork of regulations, ensuring communities are protected and industry provides sufficient justification and incentives.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of avoiding
Verb
  • The chaparral, meanwhile, burns hot, turning a small fire into an intense blaze.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • So turning the lights on and off repeatedly actually may not be in your best interest.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of turning
Verb
  • Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, prisons were a way of circumventing the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The then-head of the bank also was arrested for allegedly circumventing procedures in releasing the money to the charity.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of circumventing
Verb
  • Some are veering to the right by mirroring GOP positions, like transgender exclusion from school sports.
    — Dorian Rhea Debussy, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The hurricane appeared to be veering away from the dense refining region in southern Louisiana near New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of veering

Browse Nearby Words

detoured
detouring
detours
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Cite this Entry

“Detouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detouring. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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