route
routes; routed; routing
A route is a way for travel or movement, the path from point A to point B. A route can also be the method used for achieving a particular result, like going to school and working hard is your route to success.
Route comes from an Old French word, rute, “road,” “way,” or “path” and the Latin rupta, “broken way” or “beaten way.” A route can be a highway, like Route 66, or all the places you pass through on the way somewhere, like using a map to find the shortest route. As a verb, route means "to send people or things on a particular course," like detour signs that route you through unfamiliar streets or a package that is routed through Cleveland on its way to you.
Definitions of route
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an established line of travel or access
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examples:
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Northwest Passage
a water route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean along the northern coast of North America; Europeans since the 16th century had searched for a short route to the Far East before it was successfully traversed by Roald Amundsen (1903-1906)
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Silk Road
an ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean (4,000 miles); followed by Marco Polo in the 13th century to reach Cathay
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types:
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feeder line
a branching path off of a main transportation line (especially an airline)
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main line
the principal route of a transportation system
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data track, track
(computer science) one of the circular magnetic paths on a magnetic disk that serve as a guide for writing and reading data
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air lane, airway, flight path, skyway
a designated route followed by airplanes in flying from one airport to another
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approach pattern, pattern, traffic pattern
the path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airport
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flight path
the path of a rocket or projectile or aircraft through the air
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beat, round
a regular route for a sentry or policeman
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bus route
the route regularly followed by a passenger bus
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line of flight
the path along which a freely moving object travels through the air
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line of march
the route along which a column advances
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celestial orbit, orbit
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
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electron orbit, orbit
the path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom
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paper round, paper route
the route taken when delivering newspapers every day
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beeline
the most direct route
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circuit
an established itinerary of venues or events that a particular group of people travel to
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crosscut
a diagonal path
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supply line, supply route
a route over which supplies can be delivered
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line of fire
the path of a missile discharged from a firearm
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flyway, migration route
the geographic route along which birds customarily migrate
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fairway
the usual course taken by vessels through a harbor or coastal waters
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direction, way
a line leading to a place or point
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trade route
a route followed by traders (usually in caravans)
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approach, approach path, glide path, glide slope
the final path followed by an aircraft as it is landing
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holding pattern
the flight path (usually circular) maintained by an aircraft that is awaiting permission to land
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geosynchronous orbit
a circular orbit around the Earth having a period of 24 hours
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aim, bearing, heading
the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies
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course, trend
general line of orientation
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east-west direction
in a direction parallel with lines of latitude
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north-south direction
in a direction parallel with lines of longitude
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qibla
the direction of the Kaaba toward which Muslims turn for their daily prayers
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tendency, trend
a general direction in which something tends to move
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type of:
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line
a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent
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Northwest Passage
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an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
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synonyms:
road
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examples:
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Appian Way
an ancient Roman road in Italy extending south from Rome to Brindisi; begun in 312 BC
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Chisholm Trail
a former cattle trail from San Antonio in Texas to Abilene in Kansas; not used after the 1880s
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Flaminian Way
an ancient Roman road in Italy built by Gaius Flaminius in 220 BC; extends north from Rome to cisalpine Gaul
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Iditarod Trail
a trail that extends 1,100 miles from Anchorage over the Alaska Range to Nome
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Santa Fe Trail
a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century
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Fleet Street
a street in central London where newspaper offices are situated
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Harley Street
a street in central London where the consulting rooms of many physicians and surgeons are located
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Lombard Street
a street in central London containing many of the major London banks
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Whitehall
a wide street in London stretching from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament; site of many government offices
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Strand
a street in west central London famous for its theaters and hotels
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Downing Street
a street of Westminster in London
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Pall Mall
a fashionable street in London noted for its many private clubs
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Quai d'Orsay
the street in Paris along the south bank of the Seine known for its governmental ministries
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Champs Elysees
a major avenue in Paris famous for elegant shops and cafes
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Fifth Avenue
an avenue in Manhattan that separates the east side of Manhattan from the west side
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Seventh Avenue
an avenue in Manhattan that runs north and south
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Bowery
a street in Manhattan noted for cheap hotels frequented by homeless derelicts
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Great White Way
a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
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Park Avenue
a fashionable residential street in New York City
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Wall Street
a street in lower Manhattan where the New York Stock Exchange is located; symbol of American finance
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types:
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access road, slip road
a short road giving access to an expressway
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bypath, byroad, byway
a side road little traveled (as in the countryside)
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causeway
a road that is raised above water or marshland or sand
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clearway
a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown)
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corduroy
a road made of logs laid crosswise
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detour, roundabout way
a roundabout road (especially one that is used temporarily while a main route is blocked)
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drive, parkway
a wide scenic road planted with trees
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drive, driveway, private road
a road leading up to a private house
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highway, main road
a major road for any form of motor transport
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line, rail line, railway line
the road consisting of railroad track and roadbed
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post road
a road over which mail is carried
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roadway
a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
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crosscut, cutoff, shortcut
a route shorter than the usual one
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side road
a minor road branching off of a main road
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skid road
a road made of logs on which freshly cut timber can be hauled
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speedway
road where high speed driving is allowed
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thoroughfare
a public road from one place to another
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cart track, cartroad, track
any road or path affording passage especially a rough one
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turnoff
a side road where you can turn off
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arterial road
a major or main route
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artery
a major thoroughfare that bears important traffic
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beltway, bypass, ring road, ringway
a highway that encircles an urban area so that traffic does not have to pass through the center
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blind alley, cul de sac, dead-end street, impasse
a street with only one way in or out
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branch line, spur, spur track
a railway line connected to a trunk line
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carriageway
one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes
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divided highway, dual carriageway
a highway divided down the middle by a barrier that separates traffic going in different directions
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expressway, freeway, motorway, pike, state highway, superhighway, throughway, thruway
a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
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highroad, trunk road
a highway
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interstate, interstate highway
one of the system of highways linking major cities in the 48 contiguous states of the United States
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portage
overland track between navigable waterways
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street
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
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street
the part of a thoroughfare between the sidewalks; the part of the thoroughfare on which vehicles travel
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trail
a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country
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trunk line, trunk route
line that is the main route on a railway
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type of:
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way
any artifact consisting of a road or path affording passage from one place to another
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send via a specific route
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divert in a specified direction
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type of:
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divert
send on a course or in a direction different from the planned or intended one
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divert
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send documents or materials to appropriate destinations
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘route'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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