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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

However, she has found her form again, dropping just one set en route to the final.

From BBC Sep. 11, 2026

“They have a contractor en route to make sure that the fuel is properly cleaned up,” Raines said.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2026

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

From Barron's Sep. 2, 2026

He turned onto Kapaa Quarry Road, en route to the Kapaa Industrial Park, where Normal has a second facility.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 20, 2026

That took another two years, outwitting Wall Ghosts en route.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

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