Synonyms

en route

American

[ahn root, en, ahn root] / ɑn ˈrut, ɛn, ɑ̃ ˈrut /

adverb

on the way.

The plane crashed en route from Cairo to Athens.

en route British

/ ɑ̃ rut, ɒn ˈruːt /

adverb

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

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:

en route

Coen then led his team to nine victories in their last 10 games en route to the playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Shares climbed in after-hours trading en route to a $442 billion gain Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But, having set her sights on the outdoor record, which has stood since 1983, Hodgkinson instead had to overcome several setbacks en route to her latest podium.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

John Taske, who was a doctor, flew out as well to treat Charlotte and Mike en route.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023