routines

noun

plural of routine
1
as in ruts
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity part of my morning routine is drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in exercises
something done over and over in order to develop skill a weapons training routine

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in acts
a performance regularly presented by an individual or group did a tired routine that's been around since the days of vaudeville

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 routines Recipe development can be a self-effacing task, obliging the writer to anticipate the appetites and routines of her imagined reader. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 To his right, some 40 yards away, long snapper Liam McCullough and punter Jake Bailey progress through their own separate routines. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 6 Sep. 2026 Look for creators to pivot from salt piles to warm salt baths, foot soaks and cooler post-bath routines. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026 That robot is also designed to learn routines and react to the people around it. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 Experts recommend gradually shifting bedtime and wake-up schedules one to two weeks before school begins, creating screen-free bedtime routines and ensuring children get age-appropriate sleep each night. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Experts, viral bedtime routines and a growing lineup of sleep-tracking wearables are all part of the same movement pushing sleep from passive recovery into an active performance category. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 The baseball player, entertainer and social media personality rose to fame with the exhibition barnstorming baseball team, which puts on dance routines, comedy sketches and more. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 How might a loft or flexible room fit into everyday routines? — Jenuane Communities, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for routines
  1. ruts
  2. exercises
  3. acts
  4. patterns
  5. practices
  6. habits
  7. grinds
  8. grooves
Noun
  • Ancient Greek roads had wheel ruts to guide carts over steep or slippery terrain.
    — George C. Lee II, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Do Not Mow Wet Grass The weight of a riding or push lawn mower can also compact the soil and leave ruts.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruts
Noun
  • The mindfulness content will include meditation exercises, but also content from doctors, therapists and psychologists, not to mention former ABC News correspondent Dan Harris, who left ABC five years ago to focus on his meditation company.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
  • This also means participating in simulation exercises that test decision-making under pressure.
    — Susana Sierra, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of exercises
Noun
  • In a handful of impressively resonant scenes with King, Kylie gives Gillian an entire new generation to encourage toward the messy exuberant existence that Sally, at least in the sequel’s first few acts, vows to keep at bay.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The move to resentence the brothers was one of the last acts of George Gascón’s tenure as Los Angeles County district attorney, and current Dist.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of acts
Noun
  • Hurts starts by looking at small details, identifies patterns and then forms general theories that drive his questions.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Large language models can generate tailored customer communications, while machine learning frameworks can analyze browsing patterns.
    — Salman Shahid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of patterns
Noun
  • Salt stomping fits neatly inside a growing bucket of low-cost, low-tech, screen-free wind-down practices that already includes bath rituals, breathwork and weighted blankets.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • At the team’s early-morning practices, many players flip between offense and defense to prepare for any situation, especially when there are even a few injuries.
    — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of practices
Noun
  • The study analyzed the sleep habits of more than 11,000 people over seven days, during which participants wore wrist sensors that measured their light exposure.
    — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Successful nonprofits treat these windows as opportunities to build infrastructure and embed habits of action that outlast the celebration.
    — Stewart McLaurin, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of habits
Noun
  • Tableside dishes are a highlight, including a seasonal classic Greek salad and mouthwatering whole branzino baked in a coffee-grinds and sea-salt crust, then expertly deboned and served to perfection.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026
  • In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, chives, dill and garlic powder; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper.
    — Emily Weinstein, Twin Cities, 4 June 2026
Definition of grinds
Noun
  • Freddy straddled all these worlds, observing their points of intersection and grooves of adjacency.
    — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Yet their latest album as Immersion is a work of craft and caring, full of loose but meticulous grooves, open-hearted electronic melodies, and optimism that’s laced with cynicism but not sunk by it.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of grooves

Browse Nearby Words

routinely
routines
routing
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Cite this Entry

“Routines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/routines. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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