routine

1 of 2

noun

rou·​tine rü-ˈtēn 

1

a

: a regular course of procedure

if resort to legal action becomes a campus routine

—J. A. Perkins

b

: habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure

the routine of factory work

2

: a reiterated speech or formula

the old "After you" routine

—Ray Russell

3

: a worked-out part (as of an entertainment or sports contest) that may be often repeated

a dance routine

especially : a theatrical number

4

: a sequence of computer instructions for performing a particular task

routine

2 of 2

adjective

rou·​tine rü-ˈtēn 

ˈrü-ˌtēn

1

: of a commonplace or repetitious character : ordinary

routine problems

2

: of, relating to, or being in accordance with established procedure

routine business

Synonyms

Noun

• drill
• grind
• groove
• lockstep
• pattern
• rote
• rut
• treadmill

Adjective

• average
• common
• commonplace
• cut-and-dried
• cut-and-dry
• everyday
• garden-variety
• normal
• ordinary
• prosaic
• run-of-the-mill
• standard
• standard-issue
• unexceptional
• unremarkable
• usual
• workaday

Examples of routine in a Sentence

Noun

Grandma gets upset if we change her routine.

A brisk walk is part of her morning routine.

The job will be easier once you settle into a routine.

the boring routine of paperwork

Adjective

The surgery has become a very routine operation and poses little danger.

He criticized her routine absence from important meetings.

The more you do it, the more routine it becomes.

They hire high-school students for routine work such as filing.

Data entry becomes routine very quickly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Exercise is not typically formal but embedded into daily routines. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Instead, consider adding a chemical exfoliant into your routine once a week. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 20 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Advertisement The indictment is more a window into routine municipal politics than the stuff of an international spy thriller. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024

But this didn’t quite seem right, since Trump’s continued calls for Congress to lift the debt ceiling—a change that would end the routine brinkmanship over government shutdowns that the House G.O.P. now stages—signalled a different agenda from that of Musk and his allies. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Middle French, from route traveled way

First Known Use

Noun

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing routine

• a matter of routine

Kids Definition

routine

1 of 2 noun

rou·​tine rü-ˈtēn 

1

: a standard or regular way of doing something

2

: an often repeated speech or formula

3

: a part (as of an act or a sports performance) that is carefully worked out so it can be repeated often

a comedy routine

a dance routine

a gymnastic routine

4

: a set of computer instructions that will perform a certain job

routine

2 of 2 adjective

1

: commonplace entry 2, ordinary

2

: done or happening in a usual or standard way

routinely adverb