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detour

Meaning in simple English, pronunciation and examples

Pronunciation: US /ˈdiːtʊr/ · UK /ˈdiːtʊə/

detour means: A different, often longer route taken instead of your planned or usual route.

noun

DIFFERENT ROUTEB2

A different, often longer route taken instead of your planned or usual route.

  • We took a detour.
  • The roadworks forced us to make a long detour.
  • A short detour brought us past the lake.

How to use it: detour around something (The detour around the bridge added ten minutes.); detour via somewhere (We took a detour via the coast.)

Similar words: diversion, alternative route

Common phrases: take a detour, make a detour, short detour

verb

CHANGE ROUTEB2

To go by a different, often longer route than the one you planned.

  • We had to detour.
  • The bus detoured around the closed bridge.
  • Can we detour through the park on our way home?

How to use it: detour around something (We detoured around the flooded road.); detour through somewhere (They detoured through a nearby village.)

Similar words: divert, go around

Common phrases: detour around something, detour through town, detour via somewhere

Questions about detour

What does detour mean?

A different, often longer route taken instead of your planned or usual route.

What is detour in other languages?

Türkçe: dolambaçlı yol · Español: desvío · Français: détour · Deutsch: Umweg · Italiano: deviazione · 日本語: 迂回路

How do you pronounce detour?

In American English /ˈdiːtʊr/; in British English /ˈdiːtʊə/.

How do you use detour in a sentence?

We took a detour. The roadworks forced us to make a long detour.

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detour in other languages

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