rut

1
[ ruht ]
/ rʌt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rut ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a furrow or track in the ground, especially one made by the passage of a vehicle or vehicles.
any furrow, groove, etc.
a fixed or established mode of procedure or course of life, usually dull or unpromising: to fall into a rut.

verb (used with object), rut·ted, rut·ting.

to make a rut or ruts in; furrow.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rut

1
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of route

Words nearby rut

rustproofing, rust-through, rusty, rusty blackbird, rusty sputum, rut, rutabaga, rutaceous, ruth, Ruth, Babe, Ruthenia

Definition for rut (2 of 2)

rut2
[ ruht ]
/ rʌt /

noun

the periodically recurring sexual excitement of the deer, goat, sheep, etc.

verb (used without object), rut·ted, rut·ting.

to be in the condition of rut.

Origin of rut

2
1375–1425; late Middle English rutte<Middle French rut, ruit<Late Latin rugītus a roaring, equivalent to Latin rugī(re) to roar + -tus suffix of v. action
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to rut

gouge, track, hollow, trench, pothole, score, trough, furrow, rabbet, wont, rote, humdrum, habit, pattern, practice, system, custom, course, pace, circuit

Example sentences from the Web for rut

British Dictionary definitions for rut (1 of 2)

rut1
/ (rʌt) /

noun

a groove or furrow in a soft road, caused by wheels
any deep mark, hole, or groove
a narrow or predictable way of life, set of attitudes, etc; dreary or undeviating routine (esp in the phrase in a rut)

verb ruts, rutting or rutted

(tr) to make a rut or ruts in

Word Origin for rut

C16: probably from French route road

British Dictionary definitions for rut (2 of 2)

rut2
/ (rʌt) /

noun

a recurrent period of sexual excitement and reproductive activity in certain male ruminants, such as the deer, that corresponds to the period of oestrus in females
another name for oestrus

verb ruts, rutting or rutted

(intr) (of male ruminants) to be in a period of sexual excitement and activity

Word Origin for rut

C15: from Old French rut noise, roar, from Latin rugītus, from rugīre to roar
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with rut

rut

see in a rut.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.