en route

American  

[ahn root, en, ahn root] / ɑn ˈrut, ɛn, ɑ̃ ˈrut /

adverb

1. on the way.

   The plane crashed en route from Cairo to Athens.

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en route British  

/ ɑ̃ rut, ɒn ˈruːt /

adverb

1. on or along the way; on the road

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en route Idioms  

1. On or along the way, as in We'll pick up Dan en route to the restaurant, or We can finish our discussion en route. This French term was adopted into English in the late 1700s.

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Etymology

Origin of en route

Borrowed into English from French around 1770–80

Example Sentences

The last time Germany won 7-1 in a World Cup was in 2014 when it routed Brazil en route to its fourth title.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

Arnaldi had spent 19 hours and 42 minutes on court en route to the semi-finals in Paris - the longest anyone has played on their way to the last four of a major since 1991.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces, Central Command added.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

During the 2021 season, the Rams traded for pass rusher Von Miller en route to winning the Super Bowl at home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Educated children walked in single file on the right side of the hallway, raised their hands to use the lavatory, and carried the lavatory pass when en route.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates