detour noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of detour noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

detour

noun
 
/ˈdiːtʊə(r)/,
 
/ˈdiːtɔː(r)/
 
/ˈdiːtʊr/
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  1. a longer route that you take in order to avoid a problem or to visit a place
    • We had to make a detour around the flooded fields.
    • It's well worth making a detour to see the village.
    Extra Examples
    • The monument is well worth a detour.
    • The ship made a detour to the south.
    • Trucks now face a five-mile detour around the bridge.
    • We had to make a lengthy detour through the backstreets.
    Topics Transport by car or lorryc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • lengthy
    • long
    • brief
    • …
    verb + detour
    • make
    • take
    • be worth
    • …
    detour + noun
    • route
    • sign
    preposition
    • detour around
    • detour from
    • detour through
    • …
    See full entry
  2. (North American English)
    (British English diversion)
    a road or route that is used when the usual one is closed
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • lengthy
    • long
    • brief
    • …
    verb + detour
    • make
    • take
    • be worth
    • …
    detour + noun
    • route
    • sign
    preposition
    • detour around
    • detour from
    • detour through
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word Originmid 18th cent. (as a noun): from French détour ‘change of direction’, from détourner ‘turn away’.
See detour in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: detour

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Nearby words

indeed
adverb
 
 
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