detour

plural detours

1. 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.

   1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IX, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, (please specify |part=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, 1927, →OCLC

   1 more example

   Of course the Johnston swings around to engage the entire flotilla, and, despite taking several more hits, Johnston successfully forces away the first two ships, which leads to the entire squadron taking a detour to avoid the single pugnacious ship.

   2019 February 27, Drachinifel, 29:50 from the start, in The Battle of Samar - Odds? What are those?, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022

2. 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.

present singular third person detours · participle present detouring · participle past detoured · past detoured

1. intransitiveTo 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.

   1988 April 9, Elizabeth Pincus, “Freedom Ride Supports Southern Les/Gay Visibility”, in Gay Community News, page 3

2. transitiveTo direct or send on a detour.

1. An unincorporated community in Maryland, Carroll County, United States.