DETOURING Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

detouring

verb

present participle of detour

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Verb

Just remember that apps bypassing the VPN will expose your regular public IP address.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
The latest filings suggest that freeze is thawing — though much money is still bypassing the Democratic National Committee.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 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

Kushner so far has participated little in the ceremony of the job, avoiding most receptions and ribbon cuttings.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Exercise, avoiding alcohol or even getting enough sleep aren’t the factors most connected to college students’ well-being.

— Roxanne Prichard, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of avoiding

Verb

America must become better at turning breakthrough ideas into products the world can afford.

— Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
On October 24, 2006, Taylor Swift was released—the debut album by a 16-year-old with blonde curls, cowboy boots, and a special talent for turning heartbreak into hits.

— Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of turning

Verb

The lawsuit marks the latest crackdown under the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, also known as the BOTS Act, which bans scalpers from circumventing ticket limits with technology.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of circumventing

Verb

The video captures the brakes being applied and the car veering left to attempt to swerve around the pedestrian, CHP said.

— Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Video of the Woodland incident shows a black SUV braking and veering left before a person near the front of the vehicle tumbled to the pavement, as observers blew whistles to warn of approaching agents, according to footage.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of veering

Browse Nearby Words

detoured

detouring

detours

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Detouring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detouring. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of detouring

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes