route

noun

\ ˈrüt

, ˈrau̇t

Definition of route

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a traveled way : highway the main route north

b : a means of access : channel the route to social mobility— T. F. O'Dea

2 : a line of travel : course

3a : an established or selected course of travel or action

b : an assigned territory to be systematically covered a newspaper route

route

verb

routed; routing

Definition of route (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to send by a selected route : direct was routed along the scenic shore road

2 : to divert in a specified direction

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about route

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Examples of route in a Sentence

Noun

We didn't know what route to take. an escape route in case of fire a major bird migratory route You could take a different route and still arrive at the same conclusion. Take Route 2 into town. We live on a rural route.

Verb

Traffic was routed around the accident. When the doctor is out, his calls are routed to his answering service.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Since clutter collects dust, go the Marie Kondo route and get rid of the clutter. — Shelby Deering, Good Housekeeping, "Skipping Spring Cleaning Can Make Allergies and Asthma Much Worse, According to Doctors," 22 Mar. 2019 The Windows Insider Build 18317 released on Wednesday also goes this route, most notably by separating Cortana from the Windows 10 search box. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft separates Cortana from search in new Windows 10 preview build," 16 Jan. 2019 Stewart knew one couple who went this route, left their home and did not even clean out the fridge. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "These donors love their alma maters so much they gave them the roofs over their heads," 13 July 2018 What to Watch European Union leaders gather in Brussels today to tackle a growing number of challenges, from refugee routes and trans-Atlantic ties to Brexit and banks. — Ethan Bronner, Bloomberg.com, "Inside the Thwarted Venezuelan Military Coup," 28 June 2018 The vessels will be deployed in routes between Asia and the Mediterranean. — Costas Paris, WSJ, "France’s CMA CGM to Buy Chinese-Made Container Ships," 25 Mar. 2019 The plane was to fly in an indirect route off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula before turning inland and arriving at Pyongyang's international airport about 80 minutes later, Moon's office said. — Fox News, "South Korean president heads to North for summit with Kim," 18 Sep. 2018 Indian River is the central channel in the route and, apart from race weekend, a great place to spot loons, osprey and river otters. — Elaine Glusac, chicagotribune.com, "Start your boat engines: 'World's Toughest Outboard Marathon' revs up northern Michigan," 12 July 2018 The bridge is expected to help mitigate some of the city’s bicycle and pedestrian safety issues, but officials don’t expect travelers will stray too far from their regular route to use the bridge. — Ryan Gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Pedestrian bridge to take shape as steel truss is installed during Colonial Drive closure," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In addition to the kite, the system includes weather sensors that alert the ship captain when to deploy the device and how to route the ship to take advantage of winds, Mr. Bernatets said. — Robert Wall, WSJ, "Airbus Looks Windward, Will Put Sails on Ships Moving Plane Parts," 8 Sep. 2018 Photo: Getty Images Since taking charge, Mr. Yao has worked to route more revenue to the owners, according to interviews with more than a dozen CBA team officials, agents, sports executives and academics. — Wayne Ma, WSJ, "Yao Ming Shoots for a Basketball Revolution," 14 July 2018 In the early 1970s, the Post Office Department made the decision to send mail to a central location where high-speed sorters would route it. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "12 Geeky Ways to Deliver Mail: U.S. Postal Service Technology Through the Ages," 18 Jan. 2019 Air traffic control would route you to the nearest appropriate airport. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "What happens on plane full of sick passengers? An aerospace medicine expert explains," 6 Sep. 2018 Ford did not send the letter directly to Feinstein, opting instead to route it through her Northern California congresswoman. — Gregg Re, Fox News, "Kavanaugh accuser's details have changed, but she remains certain about abuse," 23 Sep. 2018 The modern American way of war needs space to prevail on the battlefield—to keep track of adversaries, route communications traffic, and guide bombs to their destinations. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Who Wins in a US-China Space War?," 7 Sep. 2016 In 2004 and again this year, the U.S.G.A. has chosen to route the bulk of the spectator parking farther away from the golf course to avoid congestion near the tournament site. — Bill Pennington, New York Times, "Shinnecock Indian Nation and U.S.G.A. Are Close to a Deal for the U.S. Open," 29 May 2018 The two-year pilot, which begins in July, will essentially pool wheelchair-accessible vehicles and route them through a centralized dispatcher. — Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, "Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing apps are ‘useless’ for disabled riders, NYC advocates say," 26 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'route.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for route

Noun

Middle English rute, route, borrowed from Anglo-French rute, going back to Vulgar Latin *rupta (short for *rupta via, literally, "broken way, forced passage," after Latin viam rumpere "to force a passage"), from feminine of ruptus, past participle of rumpere "to break, burst," going back to Indo-European *ru-n-p-, nasal present formation from the base *reu̯p- "break, tear" — more at reave

Verb

derivative of route entry 1

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