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Synonyms

in a rut

Idioms  

  1. In a settled or established habit or course of action, especially a boring one. For example, We go to the seashore every summer—we're in a rut, or After ten years at the same job she says she's in a rut. This expression alludes to having a wheel stuck in a groove in the road. [Early 1800s]

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.

While much of the U.S. housing market has been stuck in a rut, slowed by elevated mortgage rates and home prices near record highs, pockets of San Francisco are rebounding in a big way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

The chip maker’s stock has been in a rut in recent months as investors worry about the sustainability of AI spending by hyperscalers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies remained stuck in a rut Thursday but crypto-exposed stocks were set for gains.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

He’s the kind of guy weighed down by an internal inertia, asleep while standing up, stuck in a rut.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

I’d never been in a rut like this before.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.