What does "route" mean?
A course or way which is traveled or passed.
Route
/ɹuːt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A course or way which is traveled or passed.
- Grammar: route is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: path, road, a course, access.
- Useful contrasts: blockage, dead end, discard.
- Usage evidence: The party, therefore, had to take another route.
How to use "route"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "route" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "route" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "route" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "route" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "route" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "path" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "route", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A course or way which is traveled or passed.
"The route was used so much that it formed a rut."
- 2 an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation wordnet
- 3 A regular itinerary of stops, or the path followed between these stops, such as for delivery or passenger transportation.
"We live near the bus route."
- 4 an established line of travel or access wordnet
- 5 A road or path; often specifically a highway.
"Follow Route 49 out of town."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 One of multiple methods or approaches to doing something. figuratively
"If such an option is to viable over time, it needs to be protected against competitors. Having patent protection is one route. […] Another route is to have a programmatic investment strategy […]. Rolex has taken this route […]"
- 7 One of the major provinces of imperial China from the Later Jin to the Song, corresponding to the Tang and early Yuan circuits. historical
"The Chinese, ever since the first century of our era, have called the countries which we to-day name Kashgar and Sungaria, "routes." They referred them to their relative position on the two sides of the Tian-Shan, and called our Sungaria, Pe-lu, " northern route," and our Kashgar, Nan-lu, " southern route." The Turks gave other names to these countries; they called the northern route besh-balik, "the five cities," Pentapolis; the southern route was alti-shehr, " the six cities," Hexapolis."
- 8 A specific entry in a router that tells the router how to transmit the data it receives.
- 9 A race longer than one mile.
- 10 A path that has been secured by a railway signalling system for the passage of a train and locked to prevent any conflicting train movements from taking place.
Verb
- 1 To direct or divert along a particular course. transitive
"All incoming mail was routed through a single office."
- 2 Eye dialect spelling of root. alt-of, pronunciation-spelling
- 3 divert in a specified direction wordnet
- 4 to connect two local area networks, thereby forming an internet. Internet
- 5 send via a specific route wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To send (information) through a router. transitive
"Google Glass has come under fire from privacy advocates because it can record video without subjects being aware of it, and that any video will be routed through Google's servers."
- 7 send documents or materials to appropriate destinations wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from French.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The party, therefore, had to take another route."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "route"?
Common synonyms include: path, road, a course, access, address, air lane.
How do you use "route" in a sentence?
The party, therefore, had to take another route.
How do you pronounce "route"?
Pronounced /ɹuːt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English route, from Old French route, from Latin rupta [via] (literally “a path made by force”). Compare Modern French route. See routine. Further via Latin ruptus related with bankrupt.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French Route, or a variant spelling of Routt.