route

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a traveled way : highway
the main route north
b
: a means of access : channel
the route to social mobilityT. F. O'Dea
2
: a line of travel : course
3
a
: an established or selected course of travel or action
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

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
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.
Noun
Volunteers — friends, family and other runners — support us along the route. George B. Sánchez-Tello, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2025 People were ordered to evacuate on foot along a single route to the Mawasi area. Landon Mion, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
This Defender 130 is powered by a 3.0 liter 6 cylinder gas engine with 395 HP with 406 lb-ft of torque, bolted to an 8 speed automatic transmission, routed into an all wheel drive (AWD) traction system running thru a twin speed transfer box. Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2025 For example, the majority of exam gloves used in America come from Asia or are routed through third-party, non-democratic nations. Eric Axel, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for route

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of route was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Route.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/route. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

route

1 of 2 noun
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
: a method of transmitting a disease or of administering a remedy
the airborne route of … infectionM. L. Furcolow

More from Merriam-Webster on route

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