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

See Examples For:

en route

He had been en route to China when the disaster struck.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

In court testimony Monday, it was revealed that Shakur was conscious after the shooting en route to the hospital but did not cooperate with authorities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Trump then flew to the UK en route to the US, where he reboarded the old Air Force One and was seen descending from the aircraft after it landed at RAF Mildenhall.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The smaller plane then flew to the U.K., where Trump stopped en route to Washington, under a nondescript call sign.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

So, loath to disband after such high adventures, we reached the northern boundary of the world, chasing Mongols en route.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston