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 exact cause of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London on 12 June 2025 has been the subject of widespread speculation.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

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

Yamamoto retired 22 straight en route to eight innings of two-hit ball.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces," Centcom said.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

A small town in Minnesota that I’ve passed through countless times en route to family reunions has a prison with a massive brick wall and turretlike guard towers, which I have spent hours thinking about.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover