detour
detour Lexical Profile
detour Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A long or roundabout route taken to avoid an obstacle, a closed road, or to visit a specific place along the way.
"Because of the bridge repair, drivers had to take a five-mile detour through the countryside."
A temporary departure from a planned course of action, career path, or topic of discussion.
"Her career in medicine took a brief detour when she spent two years teaching abroad."
• verb
To take a long or roundabout route in order to avoid an obstacle or visit somewhere along the way.
"We detoured around the flooded highway and arrived an hour later than expected."
To direct or cause traffic or travelers to take an alternative, roundabout route.
"Local authorities detoured all northbound traffic onto the secondary service road."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-18th century from the French détour, meaning a 'change of direction,' derived from the Old French verb destorner ('to turn away'), from the prefix des- ('away') and torner ('to turn').