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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in a rut

Lennar fell 4.7% after the homebuilder’s second-quarter revenue missed Wall Street’s expectations, signaling that the housing market is still in a rut.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

The club is in a rut in that regard.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

“Canada’s resale housing market is stuck in a rut, and it doesn’t look likely to break out of it anytime soon,” said Michael Davenport, economist at Oxford Economics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

ServiceNow’s stock has been in a rut — so much so that it’s on track to post its largest quarterly decline on record.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

A dozen times a day they had to stop to free a wheel that had stuck in a rut, or double up the teams to climb a muddy slope.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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Related Words

• ended
• established
• resolved

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