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

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney is en route to China for a pivotal visit aimed at resetting ties with Beijing and finding new economic opportunities for his country outside the US.

From BBC

A drone crashed into a Kazakh-chartered oil tanker en route to a Russian Black Sea port earlier Tuesday, causing an explosion but no serious damage, Kazakhstan's state energy firm Kazmunaygas said.

From Barron's

Within two years of his arrival, the Crimson Hawks were battering opponents by three touchdowns per game en route to a 12-2 record and a conference championship.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We haven’t got enough fuel to wait,” said one pilot for Iberia airlines who was en route from Madrid with 283 people on board.

From Salon

Going further back, Morocco beat Nigeria en route to lifting the trophy in 1976 -- half a century on, that remains their only continental title.

From Barron's