routine
Americannoun
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routines
plural
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a customary or regular course of procedure.
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commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity.
the routine of an office.
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regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.
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an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response.
Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!
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Computers.
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a complete set of coded instructions directing a computer to perform a series of operations.
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a series of operations performed by the computer.
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an individual act, performance, or part of a performance, as a song or dance, given regularly by an entertainer.
a comic routine; a dance routine.
adjective
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of the nature of, proceeding by, or adhering to routine.
routine duties.
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dull or uninteresting; commonplace.
noun
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a usual or regular method of procedure, esp one that is unvarying
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computing a program or part of a program performing a specific function
an input routine
an output routine
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a set sequence of dance steps
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informal a hackneyed or insincere speech
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of routine
First recorded in 1670–80; from French, derivative of route route
Explanation
A routine is like a habit or sequence that doesn't vary. There are daily routines and dance routines, and maybe even daily dance routines. Something routine isn't unusual: routine things happen all the time. Most jobs have a routine — things that must be done on a regular basis. People often get surprised by things that aren't part of their routine, or "shake up their routine." Computer routines are predetermined and predictable. Singers and dancers also have routines — the planned performances they've (hopefully) been practicing.
Vocabulary lists containing routine
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Bronx Masquerade
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The Circuit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Most of the activity we've reviewed so far involved routine research tasks, such as accessing public web content to answer questions," an OpenAI spokesperson told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Hypertension often produces few or no noticeable symptoms, making early and regular screening during routine medical visits an important part of managing the condition.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Whether he’s performing in Armenia, Mexico City, Paris or London, the comedian knows how to cater his act to the crowd — it’s never the same routine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The platform, powered by a new dedicated mobile app, will eventually deploy AI agents to automate some routine expense management and accounts payable workflows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Sometimes he’d vary his routine and go on long walks, wandering with his memories near the caves in the Buda Hills—or he’d have an espresso on the terrace of the Hilton on Castle Hill.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“Extreme Makeover” had also been airing since 2002, showing ordinary men and women undergoing plastic surgery, receiving style makeovers and adopting fitness routines.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Meta is quickly racking up downloads for its Muse AI assistant, but the next step for Mark Zuckerberg is getting users to make the agent part of their everyday routines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The interrogation continues as Fielder questions whether Holmes is worried about his 24/7 access to the couple and their children as they go about their everyday routines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
He said the smart eyewear would use AI to suggest things for people to do based on what the tech learns about their goals, relationships and routines.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The routines of the computing work had become familiar to Mary, but the geography of the East Side was not.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
