rout

1 of 7

noun (1)

ˈrau̇t 

1

: a state of wild confusion or disorderly retreat

the attack and the rout that followed

2

a

: a disastrous defeat

The game turned into a rout.

After the second quarter, the rout was on. [=the game became a rout]

b

archaic : a precipitate flight

rout

2 of 7

verb (1)

ˈrau̇t 

routed; routing; routs

transitive verb

1

a

: to defeat decisively or disastrously

… the discomfiture of seeing their party routed at the polls …

—A. N. Holcombe

b

: to put to precipitate flight

c

: to disorganize completely : demoralize

2

: to drive out : dispel

rout

3 of 7

noun (2)

ˈrau̇t 

1

: a crowd of people

specifically : rabble sense 1c

2

a

: disturbance

b

archaic : fuss

3

: a fashionable gathering

rout

4 of 7

verb (2)

ˈrau̇t 

routed; routing; routs

intransitive verb

1

: to poke around with the snout : root

pigs routing in the earth

2

: to search haphazardly

transitive verb

1

: to come up with : uncover

… scouts … routing out new talent.

—Carrie Donovan

2

a

: to force out as if by digging

—usually used with out

b

: to cause to emerge especially from bed

3

a

: to gouge out or make a furrow in (something, such as wood or metal)

b

archaic : to dig up with the snout

rout

5 of 7

verb (3)

ˈrōt  ˈrüt 

routed; routing; routs

intransitive verb

dialectal, chiefly British

: to low loudly : bellow

—used of cattle

route

6 of 7

noun (3)

ˈrüt  ˈrau̇t 

1

a

: a traveled way : highway

the main route north

b

: a means of access : channel

The route to social mobility …

—T. F. O'Dea

courses that are the route to graduate school

2

: a line of travel : course

air routes

3

a

: an established or selected course of travel or action

took the scenic route

You could choose a different route and reach the same conclusion.

I decided to go/take the traditional route and have a big wedding.

b

: an assigned territory to be systematically covered

a newspaper route

route

7 of 7

verb (4)

routed; routing

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 of rout

Noun (1)

• defeat
• loss
• beating
• setback

Verb (1)

• overcome
• whip
• bury
• bomb
• master
• upset
• beat
• trounce
• annihilate
• flatten
• thrash
• blow away
• drub
• trim
• overwhelm
• throw
• smother
• paste
• dust
• skin
• top
• cream
• sweep
• clobber

Noun (2)

• throng
• swarm
• crowd
• horde
• flock
• army

Noun (3)

• road
• highway
• thoroughfare
• street
• freeway
• expressway
• roadway
• carriageway
• boulevard
• artery
• arterial

Verb (4)

• guide
• steer
• lead

Examples of rout in a Sentence

Noun (2)

the championship game was a humiliating rout for the team that had been favored to win

in the mad rout from the school shooter, it was every person for himself

Verb (2)

a great rout of rubberneckers had gathered around the scene of the accident

at first the protests were dismissed as nothing more than the idle doings of the restless rout

Verb (3)

as expected, the professional team had no trouble routing the amateurs

the nation's ground and air forces quickly routed the would-be invaders

Noun (3)

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 (4)

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

After needing five pitchers in a rout over Texas State earlier in the day just to reach the regional final out of the losers’ bracket, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz rode Johnson on Sunday night. —Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

No doubt to the delight of Alice, Miedema, Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer, came off the bench in the second half to score in what ended a rout — for all that Brighton had started the game encouragingly. —Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 1 June 2026

Verb

Angels rout the Astros Wade Meckler and Jo Adell keyed a five-run second inning with two-run doubles, and Walbert Ureña navigated heavy traffic through five shutout innings to lead the Angels to a 10-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. —Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

According to the military, security forces launched an operation in the province’s district of Barkhan to rout out insurgents that Islamabad claims are backed by India. —ABC News, 13 May 2026

Noun

Rutted migration routes, carved by the constant pounding of animal hooves, littered northern Pennsylvania. —Literary Hub, 10 June 2026

Visitors can also explore the Fort to Sea Trail, a more than 12-mile out and back route that runs from Fort Clatsop to Sunset Beach. —Alia Beard Rau, USA Today, 10 June 2026

Verb

However, amid the worsening violence and frequent attacks at the ports, a number of shipping lines have ceased calling directly on Port-au-Prince and instead route cargo through regional hubs such as Jamaica before transferring to smaller feeder vessels. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026

Sheriff’s officials said calls for help from Willows received at the sheriff’s dispatch center will be routed to the California Highway Patrol or the Willows Fire Department until Willows provides other instructions. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Middle French route "defeat, disorderly retreat," noun derivative from feminine of rout, alternate past participle of rompre "to defeat, put to flight," literally, "to break, smash," going back to Old French, going back to Latin rumpere — more at route entry 1

Verb (1)

derivative of rout entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English route "group, band of soldiers, crowd," borrowed from Anglo-French route, rute "band, herd, armed force," going back to Vulgar Latin *rupta "detachment," literally, "something broken off," going back to Latin, feminine of ruptus, past participle of rumpere "to break" — more at route entry 1

Verb (2)

presumed to be variant of wroot, root entry 3 (though alteration of vowel is unexplained)

Verb (3)

Middle English (northern) & early Scots rowten, rowte, borrowed from Old Norse rauta "to roar," going back to Germanic *rautōjan-, probably derivative of a noun *raut- "bellowing, roaring," from an ablaut derivative of *reutan- (whence Old English rēotan "to weep, wail," Old High German riozan "to weep, mourn," Old Swedish riuta "to roar"), going back to Indo-European *Hreu̯d- "produce a loud sound, weep," whence, with varying ablaut grades, Latin rudere, rūdere "to make a loud noise, bellow, bray," Lithuanian raudóti "to sob, weep," Old Church Slavic rydati, Sanskrit rodiṣi "(you) weep"

Noun (3)

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 (4)

derivative of route entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb (1)

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

circa 1564, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Verb (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (4)

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rout

• put to rout

Rhymes for rout

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• grout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• scout

Kids Definition

rout

1 of 3 verb

ˈrau̇t 

1

: to poke around with the snout : root entry 3

2

: to dig or cut a groove in (as wood or metal)

3

a

: to drive by force

routed out of their homes

b

: to cause to come out especially from bed

rout

2 of 3 noun

1

: a state of wild confusion and disorderly retreat

2

: a disastrous defeat

rout

3 of 3 verb

routed; routing

1

: to put to flight

2

: to defeat completely