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.

---

en route British  

/ ɑ̃ rut, ɒn ˈruːt /

adverb

1. on or along the way; on the road

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of en route

Borrowed into English from French around 1770–80

Example Sentences

France have won the Six Nations three times during Edwards' stint, but they conceded more tries than any other team apart from bottom side Wales en route to the 2026 title.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Senate en route to two terms as California governor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Linsey Smith was particularly difficult to get away at the start en route to 2-15 while Dean took 3-13 and Sophie Ecclestone snared 1-11.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

The legal centre representing the flotilla members said earlier on Thursday that the majority were "en route for deportation" from Ramon Airport in Israel's far south.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Assuming we didn’t crash en route, the flight would trim some three weeks from the span of Hombein’s trek.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer