rut

¹ American  

[ruht] / rʌt /

noun

1. a furrow or track in the ground, especially one made by the passage of a vehicle or vehicles.

2. any furrow, groove, etc.

3. a fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or unpromising.

   to fall into a rut.

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verb (used with object)

rutted, rutting

1. to make a rut or ruts in; furrow.

rut ² American  

[ruht] / rʌt /

noun

1. the periodically recurring sexual excitement of the deer, goat, sheep, etc.

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verb (used without object)

rutted, rutting

1. to be in the condition of rut.

rut ¹ British  

/ rʌt /

noun

1. a groove or furrow in a soft road, caused by wheels

2. any deep mark, hole, or groove

3. a narrow or predictable way of life, set of attitudes, etc; dreary or undeviating routine (esp in the phrase in a rut )

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verb

1. (tr) to make a rut or ruts in

rut ² British  

/ rʌt /

noun

1. a recurrent period of sexual excitement and reproductive activity in certain male ruminants, such as the deer, that corresponds to the period of oestrus in females

2. another name for oestrus

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verb

1. (intr) (of male ruminants) to be in a period of sexual excitement and activity

rut Idioms  

1. see in a rut.

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Etymology

Origin of rut¹

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of route

Origin of rut²

1375–1425; late Middle English rutte < Middle French rut, ruit < Late Latin rugītus a roaring, equivalent to Latin rugī ( re ) to roar + -tus suffix of v. action

Explanation

A rut is a groove in the earth, like an indent caused by wheels. It's also a boring routine that can be hard to break. If you’re stuck in a rut, you’ve been doing the same old thing for too long. If you see a groove in the ground, especially one caused by a bike or car, that's a rut. If a rut is deep enough, you could get stuck in it, which may be why the word has another meaning. If your life has become boring, stale, and monotonous, you're in a rut. Someone who works the same job for decades may feel like they're in a rut and need to make a change.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rut rutted rutting

To break out of their rut, they began working their way through the cuisines of every country in the world at local restaurants and documenting their experience on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

They could pull themselves the rest of the way out of a recent rut with a statement series against their competition for a No. 1 seed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

The lyrics were inspired by a secretive relationship "that was stuck in a rut but I kept coming back to it".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

An old-school tip for finding new music: If Spotify’s algorithm makes you feel stuck in a musical rut, there’s an easy way out.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

I pace a rut in the living room, near the front window, watching for Sophia’s headlights.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

Dipak Magar, 39, is proud of the small house he has built on a bend of a rutted road.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

Costa Rica’s Pacuare Lodge is so remote that visitors must arrive via white-water raft, by air or on a rutted 4WD-only road.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025

The long-derelict hotel has been brought back to life, new coastal paths have been laid out, a previously rutted car park has been fixed and new businesses and jobs have opened up.

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2025

When your name is associated with that much cloaked money in that sort of rutted environment, what else is involved?

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024

Despite its incomplete exhibits, rutted paths, and stretches of unplanted ground, the exposition revealed to its early visitors a vision of what a city could be and ought to be.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Compared with conventional asphalt, PMA is more flexible and better able to resist cracking, rutting, and water damage, making it well suited to Hawaii's tropical climate.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

Deer are currently in rutting season, when males attempt to establish their dominance against other males as part of their reproductive strategy.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 7, 2023

“Many people specifically go to Kincaid Park in the fall to photograph and view rutting behavior.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2023

“When the weather is wild the caravan shakes,” said Ms. Murphy, adding that sleeping could be difficult in September because “during rutting season the deer roar right through the night.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2022

They have a hoarse, distant bellow like a rutting stag and make their way high above the howl and whistle of the smaller shells.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque