rut

[ ruht ]

/ rʌt /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

rustproof, rustproofing, rusty, rusty blackbird, rusty sputum, rut, rutabaga, rutaceous, ruth, ruth, babe, ruthenia

Origin of rut

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps variant of route

Definition for rut (2 of 2)

rut

[ 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

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for rut

Some bison die during the violence of the rut in August; there is intense competition by bears for these rare summer carcasses.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's no secret that the industry is stuck in a bit of a rut.
Hollywood Declares 2014 the Year of the Bible|Andrew Romano|January 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lack-a-daisy, but how easy is it to fall of a rut in thy journeying!
Joyce Morrell's Harvest|Emily Sarah Holt
Rut there was one piece of additional news about Russell that only the Daily Planet gave.
A Republic Without a President and Other Stories|Herbert Ward

You've had such a smooth road all your life, that the first rut breaks your axle.
The Bunsby papers|John Brougham
Menstruation is not peculiar to the human female, being represented in the higher animals by what is familiarly termed the "rut."
Plain Facts for Old and Young|John Harvey Kellogg
"You can do many things when the emergency comes," replied Mollie, as she turned out to avoid a rut in the road.
The Outdoor Girls in a Motor Car|Laura Lee Hope

British Dictionary definitions for rut (1 of 2)

rut

/ (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)

rut

/ (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.