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rout

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rout¹

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK
  • [ɹʌʊt] Canada

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English rout, route (“group of people associated with one another, company; entourage, retinue; army; group of soldiers; group of pirates; large number of people, crowd; throng; group of disreputable people, mob; riot; group of animals; group of objects; proper condition or manner”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman route, rute, Middle French rote, route, Old French rote, route, rute (“group of people, company; group of armed people; group of criminals; group of cattle”) (modern French route (obsolete)), from Latin rupta (compare Late Latin ruta, rutta (“group of marauders; riot; unlawful assembly”)), the feminine of ruptus (“broken; burst, ruptured”), the perfect passive participle of rumpō (“to break, burst, rupture, tear; to force open; (figurative) to annul; to destroy; to interrupt”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to break; to tear (up)”). The English word is a doublet of route.

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to assemble, congregate; of animals: to herd together; to regroup, make a stand against; to be riotous, to riot”) [and other forms], from rout, route (noun); see above.

noun routs

  1. countable, obsolete A group of people; a crowd, a throng, a troop; in particular (archaic), a group of people accompanying or travelling with someone. A route of people there aſſembled were, / Of euery ſort and nation vnder skye, [...]

    Similar: company, gathering

  2. archaic, collective, countable A group of animals, especially one which is lively or unruly, or made up of wild animals such as wolves; a flock, a herd, a pack. The harts and hinds in their herds, the boars in their singulars, the skulls of foxes, the richesses of martens, the bevies of roes, the cetes of badgers and the routs of wolves - all came to him more or less as something which you either skinned or flayed and then took home to cook.
  3. collective, countable A group or assortment of snails. hiruvananthapuram: Routs of snails are invading parts of the city, sending residents into a tizzy, amid fears that they would pose a health hazard

    Similar: escargatoire

  4. countable A group of disorganized things.
  5. countable A group of (often violent) criminals or gangsters; such people as a class; (more generally) a disorderly and tumultuous crowd, a mob; hence (archaic, preceded by the), the common people as a group, the rabble. Beſides the endleſſe routs of wretched thralles, / VVhich thether were aſſembled day by day, / From all the world after their wofull falles, / Through wicked pride, and waſted welthes decay.
  6. countable, dated A fashionable assembly; a large evening party, a soirée. The Ducheſs or Marlborough had one of the grandeſt routs that has been given for ſome time, almoſt the whole of the firſt people of rank and faſhion in England being preſent. This being a new birth to conviviality in Marlborough Houſe, and the firſt rout for theſe ſeven laſt years, it was uncommonly
  7. archaic, countable A noisy disturbance; also, a disorderly argument or fight, a brawl; (uncountable) disturbance of the peace, commotion, tumult. Hearing the rout, Dame Gill came out, With a horse whip from the door, She laid it on Jack, And poor Jill's back, Until they both did roar.
  8. countable, historical An illegal assembly of people; specifically, three or more people who have come together intending to do something illegal, and who have taken steps towards this, regarded as more serious than an unlawful assembly but not as serious as a riot; the act of assembling in this manner.

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. intransitive, obsolete To assemble in a crowd, whether orderly or disorderly; to collect in company. Whereupon the meaner ſort [of people] routed together, and ſuddenly aſſayling the Earle [i.e., Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland] in his Houſe, ſlew him, and diuers of his ſeruants.
  2. obsolete, transitive To cause to move. "Why, God be thanked, ma'am, I'm stout and hearty; and though I say it mysilf, there's not an ould woman in the county can stir about betther nor me, and I'm up ivery mornin' at the peep of day, and rout them all up out of their beds. Don't I?" said she, looking at Mary.

rout²

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK
  • [ɹʌʊt] Canada

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle French route (“military defeat; retreat”), from rout, archaic past participle of Middle French, Old French rompre (“to break; to break up, disperse”) (modern French rompre (“to break, snap; to break up (with someone)”)), from Latin rumpere, the present active infinitive of rumpō (“to break, burst, rupture, tear; to force open; (figurative) to annul; to destroy; to interrupt”); see further at etymology 1.

The verb is derived from the noun.

noun routs

  1. The act of completely defeating an army or other enemy force, causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; (by extension) in politics, sport, etc.: a convincing defeat; a thrashing, a trouncing. The rout of the enemy was complete.
  2. also, figuratively The retreat of an enemy force, etc., in this manner; also (archaic, rare), the army, enemy force, etc., so retreating. [T]hy Army preſently, / (As if they could not ſtand, when thou wert downe) / Diſperſt in rout, betooke them all to flie: [...]

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. transitive To completely defeat and force into disorderly retreat (an enemy force, opponent in sport, etc.). [T]hat Party of the King's Horſe which Charged the Scots, ſo totally Routed and defeated their whole Army, that they fled all ways for many Miles together, and were knock'd on the head, and taken Priſoners by the Country, [...]
  2. archaic, intransitive To retreat from a confrontation in disorder. The Ra division broke in panic and fled up against the just-arriving Amon division, which as a result began to rout as well.

rout³

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK
  • /ɹut/ Scotland
  • /ɹʌʊt/ Scotland

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to snore; to grunt, snort; to sleep; to dwell; to settle permanently”), [and other forms], from Old English hrūtan (“to snore; to make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrūtan (“to snore”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną, *hreutaną (“to snore”), from *hruttōną (“to snore; to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *ker-, *kor-, *kr- (“to croak, crow”), *krut- (“to snore; to roar”), probably ultimately imitative.

The English word is cognate with Icelandic rjóta, hrjóta (“to snore; to rattle, roar”), rauta (“to roar”), Middle Dutch ruyten (“to make a noise; to chatter, chirp”), Middle High German rūssen, rūzen (“to make a noise; to buzz; to rattle; to snore”), Norwegian Nynorsk ruta (“to make a loud noise; to roar, rumble”), Swedish ryta (“to bellow, roar; to scream or shout angrily”). Compare Old English rēotan, *hrēotan (“to make a noise; to make a noise in grief, lament, wail; to shed tears, weep”), from Proto-Germanic *reutaną; see further at etymology 4.

The noun is derived from the verb. It is cognate with Southern Norwegian rut (“loud noise, din, roar”).

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. England, intransitive, regional To snore, especially loudly.
  2. England, intransitive, regional To make a noise; to bellow, to roar, to snort.
  3. Scotland, archaic, intransitive Especially of the sea, thunder, wind, etc.: to make a loud roaring noise; to howl, to roar, to rumble.

noun routs

  1. Scotland A loud, resounding noise, especially one made by the sea, thunder, wind, etc.; a roar.

rout⁴

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, Ireland, UK
  • /ɹʌʊt/ Scotland
  • /ɹut/ Scotland

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to cry out, bellow, roar”) [and other forms], from Old Norse rauta (“to roar”), from Proto-Germanic *reutaną (“to cry, wail”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *HrewdH- (“to weep”), probably imitative. The English word is cognate with Danish ryde (“to low, moo”), Latin rudere, rūdere (“to bray; to cry”), Lithuanian raudóti (“to wail; to lament; to sob”), Norwegian raute (“to bellow; to low, moo”), Old Church Slavonic рꙑдати (rydati, “to wail, weep”), Old High German riozan (“to roar; to wail”) (Middle High German riezen (“to wail”)), Old Norse rjóta (“to roar”), Old Swedish riuta, ryta (“to howl, wail; to roar”) (modern Swedish ruta, ryta (“to howl; to roar”) (regional)), Old Swedish röta (“to bellow, roar”) (modern Swedish rauta, råta, rota, röta (“to bellow, roar”) (regional)), Sanskrit रुद् (rud, “to cry, wail, weep; to howl, roar; to bewail, deplore, lament”).

The noun is derived from the verb, or from a noun derived from Old Norse rauta (“to roar”) (see above).

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, transitive Of a person: to say or shout (something) loudly.
  2. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, intransitive Of a person: to speak loudly; to bellow, roar, to shout.
  3. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, intransitive Of an animal, especially cattle: to low or moo loudly; to bellow.

noun routs

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland A lowing or mooing sound by an animal, especially cattle; a bellow, a moo.
  2. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland A loud shout; a bellow, a roar; also, an instance of loud and continued exclamation or shouting; a clamour, an outcry. And what of this new book the whole world makes ſuch a rout about?—Oh! 'tis out of all plumb, my Lord,—quite an irregular thing!

rout⁵

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

A variant of wrout, itself a variant of wroot (“to search or root in the ground”) (obsolete), from Middle English wroten (“to search or root in the ground; of a person: to dig earth; of a worm: to slither, wriggle; to corrode; of a worm: to irritate by biting the skin; to destroy (a fortification) by digging or mining”) [and other forms] (whence root), from Old English wrōtan (“to root up or rummage with the snout”). from Proto-West Germanic *wrōtan, from Proto-Germanic *wrōtaną (“to dig with the nose or snout, to root”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps related to Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“a root”), whence the English nouns wort and root.

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, transitive To dig or plough (earth or the ground); to till.
  2. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, transitive Usually followed by out or up: of a person: to search for and find (something); also (transitive) to completely empty or clear out (something).
  3. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, US, transitive Usually followed by from: to compel (someone) to leave a place; specifically (usually followed by out or up), to cause (someone) to get out of bed. Nevertheless, he was always stimulated by Winsett, and whenever he caught sight of the journalist's lean bearded face and melancholy eyes he would rout him out of his corner and carry him off for a long talk.
  4. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, ambitransitive Of an animal, especially a pig: to search (for something) in the ground with the snout; to root. [L]et us try to realise a party of people arriving before daybreak, on a cold mizzly morning, at a sloppy piece of grassland, routed up by vagrant pigs, and poached into holes by horses out for their Sunday holiday, [...]
  5. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, ambitransitive To use a gouge, router, or other tool to scoop out material (from a metallic, wooden, etc., surface), forming a groove or recess.
  6. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, intransitive Of a person: to search through belongings, a place, etc.; to rummage.

rout⁶

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

Possibly a variant of root (“to dig or pull out by the roots; to abolish, exterminate, root out”), from Middle English wroten; see further at etymology 5. Some recent uses are difficult to tell apart from rout (“of an animal, especially a pig: to search (for something) in the ground with the snout; to search for and find (something)”).

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, transitive Usually followed by out or up: to dig or pull up (a plant) by the roots; to extirpate, to uproot.
  2. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, figuratively, transitive Usually followed by out: to find and eradicate (something harmful or undesirable); to root out.

rout⁷

  • /ɹaʊt/ US, UK
  • /ɹʌʊt/ Scotland
  • /ɹut/ Scotland

Sounds like route (in some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -aʊt

Where it comes from

The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to move quickly, rush; of waters: to churn, surge; to drag, pull; to throw; to agitate, shake; to beat, strike;”) [and other forms], from Old English hrūtan, from or cognate with Old Norse hrjóta (“to be flung; to fall; to fly”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną, *hreutaną (“to fall; to fly; to move quickly”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *krew- (“to fall, plunge; to rush; to topple”).

The English word is cognate with Middle High German rûzen (“to move quickly, storm”), and is also related to Old English hrēosan (“to fall; to collapse; to rush”).

The noun is derived from Middle English rout, route (“a blow; suffering, woe (?); a jerk, sharp pull”) [and other forms], from routen; see above.

verb routs · routing · routed

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, ambitransitive, archaic To beat or strike (someone or something); to assail (someone or something) with blows.

noun routs

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, archaic A violent movement; a heavy or stunning blow or stroke.

rout⁸

Where it comes from

Uncertain; either imitative of the bird’s call, or possibly from Icelandic hrota (“brant; brent goose”), also probably imitative though perhaps influenced by hrot (“a snore; act of snoring”), from hrjóta (“to snore”), from Old Norse hrjóta (“to snore”), from Proto-Germanic *hrūtaną (“to snore”); see further at etymology 3.

noun routs

  1. Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, obsolete The brant or brent goose (Branta bernicla).

    Similar: brant goose, road-goose, rood goose, rot-goose

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: mob, expel, spread-eagle, rabble, discomfiture, discomfit, groove, rootle, gouge, root, spreadeagle, rout out, defeat, eradicate, crush, expulsion

Translations

Every language

noun disorderly and tumultuous crowd — see also mob

Русскийсброд sbrod, чернь f толпа́ černʹ

noun group of animals, especially one which is lively or unruly, or made up of wild animals such as wolves

Русскийстая staja

noun group of (often violent) criminals or gangsters; such people as a class

Русскийбанда banda, шайка šajka

noun fashionable assembly; large evening party — see also soiree

Françaisraout
Русскийра́ут ráut, приём prijóm

noun act of completely defeating an army, etc., causing it to retreat in a disorganized manner; convincing defeat

Españolgoleada
Françaisdébâcle, déroute

verb to completely defeat and force into disorderly retreat

日本語潰走させる kaisō saseru
中文擊潰 /击溃 jīkuì, jíkuì, 击退 jītuì, jítuì
Portuguêsdesbaratar
Italianosbarattare
Русскийразби́ть на́голову razbítʹ nágolovu

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MLA

"rout." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rout. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rout. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rout

Chicago

"rout." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rout.

BibTeX
@misc{rout_2026,
  title = {rout},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rout},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}