routine

American  

[roo-teen] / ruˈtin /

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.

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adjective

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

   routine duties.

2. dull or uninteresting; commonplace.

   Synonyms:

   typical, ordinary, habitual

routine British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of routine

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of routine

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

Example Sentences

Her parents say GPs had downgraded her referral for biopsies to a routine one because of her age, meaning her cancer went undetected until it was too late.

From BBC

“He’s got a routine, he works really hard, he wants to be great,” said Henry, a 10th-year pro.

From Los Angeles Times

If the American's free skate is anything like the routine that clinched the Grand Prix Trophy in December, it should be spectacular.

From BBC

When you lease a vehicle, you are usually responsible for routine maintenance costs — oil changes, tire rotations and brake inspections — unless your lease agreement includes a complimentary maintenance plan.

From MarketWatch

The American, born to Olympic figure skaters Tatiana Malinina and Roman Skorniakov, is the hot favourite for the men's singles title in Italy with previous routines including seven quads and a back flip.

From BBC

Related Words

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