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Synonyms

trade route

American  

noun

  1. any route usually taken by merchant ships, caravans, etc.


Etymology

Origin of trade route

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Shipping traffic remains throttled in the Strait of Hormuz, a trade route off Iran’s coast that fully a third of the world’s seagoing oil exports traverse in a normal year.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

The visit is expected to advance a flagship transport communications project integrating the two countries into a new east-west trade route.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

Djibouti has only around one million inhabitants but lies on the strategic trade route of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

El Paso, which means “the pass,” got its name from Spanish explorers who arrived in the late 16th century and established a trade route here leading from Mexico City to Santa Fe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025

Particularly important, the Teotihuacan-backed dynasty took over several outposts on the Usumacinta River system, Yucatan’s most important trade route.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann