route

1 of 2

noun

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

2 of 2

verb

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 route

Noun

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

Verb

• guide
• steer
• lead

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

Elsewhere, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a tanker caught fire early Wednesday after striking a naval mine while traveling along an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. — Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026

The green line is the company's preferred route, while the red, yellow and blue lines show alternate routes that are being considered. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026

Verb

The company, which is headquartered in New York and has an office in Chicago, uses a range of AI tools to route more than $200 billion of advertising annually for clients around the world. — S. Sorrina Beecher, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

The chip routes multiple wavelengths, from ultraviolet to near-infrared light, needed to control the ion. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing route

• en route
• paper route
• route step
• rural route
• star route
• the scenic route
• trade route

Rhymes for route

• boot
• bruit
• brut
• brute
• chute
• coot
• cute
• flute
• fruit
• hoot
• jute
• loot

Kids Definition

route

1 of 2 noun

ˈrüt  ˈrau̇t 

1

: road sense 2a, highway

U.S. Route 66

2

: a course of action toward a goal

the best route to peace

3

a

: an established, selected, or assigned course of travel

explorers looking for a new route to the Indies

air routes to Europe

b

: a territory to be gone over regularly

a newspaper route

route

2 of 2 verb

routed; routing

: to send or transport by a certain route

route heavy traffic around the city

Medical Definition

route

noun

ˈrüt  ˈrau̇t 

: a method of transmitting a disease or of administering a remedy

the airborne route of … infection

—M. L. Furcolow