rout

¹ American  

[rout] / raʊt /

noun

1. a defeat attended with disorderly flight; dispersal of a defeated force in complete disorder.

   to put an army to rout; to put reason to rout.

2. any overwhelming defeat.

   a rout of the home team by the state champions.

3. a tumultuous or disorderly crowd of persons.

   Synonyms:

   horde, swarm

4. the rabble or mob.

5. Law. a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a manner that suggests an intention to riot although they do not actually carry out the intention.

6. a large, formal evening party or social gathering.

7. Archaic. a company or band of people.

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verb (used with object)

1. to disperse in defeat and disorderly flight.

   to rout an army.

2. to defeat decisively.

   to rout an opponent in conversation.

   Synonyms:

   subdue, overcome, overwhelm

rout ² American  

[rout] / raʊt /

verb (used without object)

1. to root.

   pigs routing in the garden.

2. to poke, search, or rummage.

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verb (used with object)

1. to turn over or dig up (something) with the snout.

2. to find or get by searching, rummaging, etc. (usually followed byout ).

3. to cause to rise from bed (often followed by up orout ).

4. to force or drive out.

5. to hollow out or furrow, as with a scoop, gouge, or machine.

rout ³ American  

[rout] / raʊt /

verb (used without object)

Archaic.

1. to snore.

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rout ⁴ American  

[rout, root] / raʊt, rut /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to bellow; roar.

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noun

1. a bellow.

rout ¹ British  

/ raʊt /

noun

1. an overwhelming defeat

2. a disorderly retreat

3. a noisy rabble

4. law a group of three or more people proceeding to commit an illegal act

5. archaic a large party or social gathering

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verb

1. (tr) to defeat and cause to flee in confusion

rout ² British  

/ raʊt /

verb

1. to dig over or turn up (something), esp (of an animal) with the snout; root

2. (tr; usually foll by out or up) to get or find by searching

3. to force or drive out

   they routed him out of bed at midnight

4. to hollow or gouge out

5. (intr) to search, poke, or rummage

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Etymology

Origin of rout¹

First recorded in 1200–50; (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French rute, Old French route “a fraction, detachment,” from Latin rupta, feminine past participle of rumpere “to break”; (verb) derivative of the noun

Origin of rout²

First recorded in 1540–50; alteration of root ²; compare Middle Dutch ruten “to root out”

Origin of rout³

First recorded before 900; Middle English routen, Old English hrūtan; cognate with Old High German hrūzan

Origin of rout⁴

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English rowten, from Old Norse rauta “to bellow”; akin to Latin rudere

Explanation

When you think about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, associate a rout with the agonizing defeat. A rout is the kind of humiliating loss that makes you wish you would have been injured in the first quarter so you could have avoided the outcome. One way to remember the meaning of the word rout is to consider its similarity to the word riot, both suggesting a disastrous mess. Rout can be used as either a noun or a verb: "The losing team suffered during a rout while the winning team routed them!" This word can also be used to refer to an unruly mob of people, like a disorderly rout of sports fans involved in a stampede onto the field.

Example Sentences

With glasses perched on his nose, 43-year-old shopkeeper Minati Rout completes his journey by passing a final test: separating small pebbles from grains of rice.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

Appeared in the May 20, 2026, print edition as 'Global Bond Rout Picks Up Speed'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

"There is no doubt that the flood situation this time is very serious and the frequency of rains is increasing significantly," says Jayashree Rout, an environmental science professor at Assam University.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2022

Rout says she likes the DGT 3000 and DGT 2010 clock models, which are easy to configure and work pleasantly in any context—nothing too ornate like the clocks you see at pro speed chess tourneys.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2021

They lead us such a way about, Raise new Disputes, make such a Rout.

From Aesop Dress'd Or a collection of Fables by La Fontaine, Jean de

Related Words

• beat
• chase
• clobber
• conquer
• crush
• destroy
• expel
• finish
• kill
• overpower
• repulse
• subdue
• trounce
• vanquish
• whip
• wipe out