bypass
(noun, verb)
past tense: bypassed
LISTEN
"Take the bypass; it's faster than going through the city center."
- Although the bypass goes around the city, it's actually faster than going through downtown.
A bypass is also a surgical procedure that redirects the flow of blood around a blockage.
- Margaret had triple bypass surgery.
- The coronary bypass was a success.
Bypass also means ‘to avoid by following a bypass.’
- On our driving trip from St. Louis to Milwaukee, we bypass Chicago.
Did you know?
You can also use bypass in a figurative sense. For example, “When Cooper wanted a second dessert, he bypassed his parents and went directly to Grandma.”
In pop culture
In the The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent protests against a highway bypass that is being constructed right through his house. Have you seen the movie? It’s based on a book by Douglas Adams!
Word of the Day is released Monday through Friday.
