routine

[roo-teen]

noun

1. a customary or regular course of procedure.

2. commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity.

   the routine of an office.

3. regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.

4. an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response.

   Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!

5. Computers.

   1. a complete set of coded instructions directing a computer to perform a series of operations.

   2. a series of operations performed by the computer.

6. 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

1. of the nature of, proceeding by, or adhering to routine.

   routine duties.

2. dull or uninteresting; commonplace.

   Synonyms: typical, ordinary, habitual

routine

/ ruːˈtiːn /

noun

1. a usual or regular method of procedure, esp one that is unvarying

2. computing a program or part of a program performing a specific function

   an input routine

   an output routine

3. a set sequence of dance steps

4. informal,  a hackneyed or insincere speech

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of routine

Other Word Forms

• routinely adverb
• routineness noun
• nonroutine adjective
• unroutine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of routine¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from French, derivative of route route

Word History and Origins

Origin of routine¹

C17: from Old French, from route a customary way, _route

Example Sentences

While the NHS attempted to keep as many routine services running as possible during the last strike, thousands of operations and appointments still had to be postponed.

Read more on BBC

Coleman’s routine included a block about doing weather reports for Armed Forces Radio when he served in the Navy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On a grass field near the players’ parking lot, he watched Yamamoto throw javelins as part of his workout routine.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Five months later, such military interventions have become almost routine.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And finally, with no more disruptions to his routine, improvement flowed quickly.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• act 
• custom 
• cycle 
• drill 
• groove 
• habit 
• method 
• pace 
• pattern 
• piece 
• practice 
• procedure 
• program 
• system 
• technique 
• use