# 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.

# a road or route that is used when the usual one is closed.

*** detour (v):

# to take a longer route in order to avoid a problem or to visit a place; to make somebody/something take a longer route.

detour + adv./prep.: The President detoured to Chicago for a special meeting.

detour something: I would detour the endless stream of motor homes.

detour somebody/something + adv./prep.: State troopers were detouring southbound trucks off Route 1 onto Route 16.

# ​travelling or leading towards the south.

southbound traffic

(British English) the southbound carriageway of the motorway

(British English)

​# one of the two sides of a motorway or other large road, used by traffic moving in the same direction.

the eastbound carriageway of the M50.

SEE ALSO dual carriageway

# the part of a road intended for vehicles, not people walking, etc.

Vehicles should be parked as close as possible to the edge of the carriageway.

# [countable, uncountable] the general position a person or thing moves or points towards.

in the direction of something: They headed in the direction of the village.

in somebody's direction: She pointed in my direction.

in the/a … direction: They hit a truck coming in the opposite direction.

The road was blocked in both directions.

When the police arrived, the crowd scattered in all directions.

Has the wind changed direction?

I lost all sense of direction (= I didn't know which way to go).