Definition
To bypass something is to route around it — to reach the far side without going through the obstacle in between. A new road bypasses the town; a clever argument bypasses the usual objection; surgery bypasses a blocked artery with a fresh channel. The key idea is avoidance by detour, not removal: the thing bypassed is left exactly where it was, untouched and intact, while you simply find another way past it. As a noun, a bypass is that alternative route.
Examples
Collocations
bypass the system·bypass the problem·a bypass road·bypass normal channels·bypass an obstacle
Synonyms
circumvent·skirt·sidestep·avoid·go around
Antonyms
confront·tackle·go through
Word family
bypass (noun)·bypassed (adjective)
In TOEFL & IELTS
Useful in IELTS for process and problem-solution essays: 'a measure that bypasses bureaucratic delay'. It often carries a faint sense of skipping the proper route, so 'bypass normal channels' can be mildly critical. In TOEFL it appears literally (roads, plumbing, anatomy) and figuratively (bypass a difficulty). Note it is one word and works as both verb and noun.