routes 1 of 2

plural of route
1
2
3
as in ways
the direction along which something or someone moves hurricanes generally take a northerly route up the Atlantic seaboard

Synonyms & Similar Words

routes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of route
as in guides
to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front the guide routed us smoothly through the jungle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of routes
Noun
Its aim is to make rail practical for shipments that are often moved by trucks because conventional freight trains are less flexible on shorter routes. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026 But Huang regards it as just another attractor in the landscape — albeit a potentially catastrophic one — that can be all too easily accessed by many different routes. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 The couple’s eldest son, Chuck Wooler, was also established in the beverage industry at that time, managing one of the largest on-premise beer routes in Las Vegas. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Resilience comes from separate physical routes, backups that are tested under load and systems that degrade gracefully when a piece drops out. — Vincent E. Bianco Iii, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 Rivera urged coastal residents to remain alert to changes in sea level, identify routes to higher ground and report unusual conditions to emergency authorities. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026 Pritzker's order also directs the Illinois Department of Transportation to consider extending the Illinois Harvest Permit program, which allows heavier truck weights on specified routes, into 2027. — Bernarda Malevska, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 In contrast to the busy and sometimes urbanized pilgrimage routes of Europe, or the crowded processions of the Hajj, the ancient path runs mostly through quiet forests. — Shay Rabineau, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 Too often this season, his feet have not connected with the routes against zone coverage, as Hall of Famer Kurt Warner explained on his QB Confidential YouTube channel. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
The grid constantly senses where demand is rising and routes power to meet it, drawing on every point in the network to decide or predict where energy should go to optimize supply, cost efficiency and customer delivery. — Thomas Zawacki, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 The organization collects footwear and clothing donations and routes them toward reuse channels. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026 That means if Robinhood routes bets on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to throw for at least 300 passing yards through OG’s exchange, the brokerage app wouldn’t be taking anything away from Rothera, which has never offered that type of wager. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2026 To establish this metric, the system processes daily historical records from the US Geological Survey’s stream gage network alongside Dayflow, an Oak Ridge dataset that routes runoff across American river channels. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026 The lymphatic system collects that fluid from your tissues and routes it through a network of vessels, nodes and organs running parallel to the circulatory system throughout nearly the entire body, per StatPearls. — Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2026 Charter routes much of the traffic through its Wi-Fi networks. — Kelcee Griffis, Fortune, 27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for routes
Noun
  • As the hundreds of thousands of people made their way down the narrow roads following the politician, a few rerouted into the industry event, still carrying big flags and with faces lit up with hope.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The landscape was inspired by the inland town of Ioulida, a hilltop village with cascading residential dwellings and winding paths (no car-worthy roads), and a church perched at the precipice.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • His view on cross-border storytelling was shared across the panel as multilingual and multicultural filmmaking opens more paths to audiences.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Amenities and experiences Not an amenity forward hotel per se, no gym, spa or restaurant, but the hotel does offer bikes to explore Stanley Park nearby or the paths that go by the waterfront.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The show is about the conglomeration of various immigrant groups and people taking advantage of one another in different ways in the Central Valley in California of that era.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In some ways, beauty is particularly poised to benefit from this shift.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Her startling novel guides us through the Stettheimer sisters’ fabulous world and the interior spaces of a troubled woman’s mind.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Trask, who grow up under the demanding eye of father Cyrus (Tracy Letts), a one-legged Civil War hero who guides them with military rigor.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In Chile in 2024, several hundred demonstrators burned tires and blocked coastal highways and railway tracks to protest the early closure of the fishing season, a move partly driven by overfishing tied to fishmeal.
    — Ian Urbina, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The red dye also allows a road inspector to detect whether a trucker is evading taxes by using the fuel on highways.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • As a director, Fish has taken subversive, revelatory approaches to the theatrical canon and has adapted, for a taste, Don DeLillo and David Foster Wallace.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The two best friends took opposite approaches to their Loewe show looks.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Accessibility There’s wheelchair access to the ground floor rooms & garden, with paths around the property to access the restaurant, although the gravel pathways are not ideal for wheelchairs.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As potential homebuyers in California weigh some very expensive housing options, they are often steered toward condominiums — one of the most affordable pathways to becoming a homeowner in the United States.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Republicans have a sizable cash advantage as House Speaker Mike Johnson steers the party closer to Trump to try to keep the majority.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Web protection steers any application away from dangerous URLs, which is a plus.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Routes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/routes. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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