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

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.

Example Sentences

Jones was discussing his career, his routine and his investment philosophy in a conversation with Patrick O’Shaughnessy on the “Invest Like the Best” podcast that was released on Tuesday but recorded in February.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

What was once a routine expense, is now forcing the family to cut back elsewhere just to cope.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Paramount also requested FCC approval of up to 100% of “indirect aggregate foreign equity…to accommodate routine fluctuations in publicly held equity interests and to account for potential future investments.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The department’s monthly discipline roundup shows the 10-day suspensions given to Hogg and Alcocer are in line with punishments for more routine incidents, such as one officer found to have improperly pushed a civilian.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

“Excuse me?” said one of the photographers, a man who’d snapped about a bazillion pictures during Chico’s dance routine.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

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