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

A year ago, Air India flight 171 crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat, en route for London.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

The Dodgers put together a 10-run seventh inning en route to a 12-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Senate en route to two terms as California governor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 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

Holmes insisted that when he had last seen the Pitezel children, they were alive and traveling with a woman named Minnie Williams, en route to the place where their father was hiding out.

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