routine
Americannoun
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routines
plural
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a customary or regular course of procedure.
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commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity.
the routine of an office.
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regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.
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an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response.
Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!
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Computers.
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a complete set of coded instructions directing a computer to perform a series of operations.
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a series of operations performed by the computer.
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an individual act, performance, or part of a performance, as a song or dance, given regularly by an entertainer.
a comic routine; a dance routine.
adjective
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of the nature of, proceeding by, or adhering to routine.
routine duties.
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dull or uninteresting; commonplace.
noun
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a usual or regular method of procedure, esp one that is unvarying
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computing a program or part of a program performing a specific function
an input routine
an output routine
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a set sequence of dance steps
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informal a hackneyed or insincere speech
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of routine
First recorded in 1670–80; from French, derivative of route route
Explanation
A routine is like a habit or sequence that doesn't vary. There are daily routines and dance routines, and maybe even daily dance routines. Something routine isn't unusual: routine things happen all the time. Most jobs have a routine — things that must be done on a regular basis. People often get surprised by things that aren't part of their routine, or "shake up their routine." Computer routines are predetermined and predictable. Singers and dancers also have routines — the planned performances they've (hopefully) been practicing.
Vocabulary lists containing routine
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Bronx Masquerade
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The Circuit
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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:
We have no significant financial obligations beyond routine monthly expenses such as food, utilities, taxes, insurance and so forth.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
By obstructing vaccine deliveries and restricting immunization teams in the areas they control, they have left nearly five million Yemeni children without routine vaccinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Instead of billing insurance for routine office visits, they’re charging patients directly through a monthly or annual membership fee, a model known as direct primary care, or DPC.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Stockholm and Gotland began routine colorectal cancer screening as early as 2008.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
“My brother Wes said they do a different routine based on what's inside them. The chicken ones are wild. The pork ones kind of lazy.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Sure enough, Heyward and Freeman both headed south that day — still driving separately because of their differing morning routines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Once the fear wears off and the road becomes home, the group develops its own rituals and routines, but maintains its connection to what came before all this, however fleeting it may be.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The trend has been driven by "cleanfluencers" – content creators who share cleaning routines, home organisation tips and everyday resets with their followers.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Content creators have built massive audiences by filming seemingly mundane routines, from getting ready in the morning to eating lunch.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
After the Houston National Invitational, Aimee sent a video of my routines to Martha Karolyi.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
