From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrouteroute1 /ruːt $ ruːt, raʊt/ ●●● S3 W2 AWL noun [countable] 1 TTWAY/ROUTEa way from one place to anotherroute to/from What’s the best route to Cambridge?take/follow a route (=use a route) We weren’t sure about which route we should take. the most direct route home2 WAY/ROUTEa way between two places that buses, planes, ships etc regularly travelbus/air/shipping etc route Is your office on a bus route?cycle route (=a way between two places that only people on bicycles can use)3 WAY/METHODa way of doing something or achieving a particular resultroute to the surest route to disaster Kennedy arrived at the same conclusion by a different route.4 → Route 66/54 etcCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + routea direct routeThe motorway is the most direct route.the best routeLet's look at the map and work out the best route.the quickest/shortest routeWe took the shortest route back to the hotel.a roundabout route (also a circuitous route formal) (=one that is not at all direct)Sorry we're late. We took a rather circuitous route.the scenic route (=a route that is not direct but goes through beautiful country)I decided to take the scenic route.a northerly/southerly etc routeShe followed the northerly route across Spain to Bilbao.the same routeHe had intended to return by the same route.a different routeIs this a different route than the one we took before?an alternative route (=one that you can use instead)Holiday-makers bound for South Wales are advised to find an alternative route.an escape route (=a way of leaving a building or place in an emergency such as a fire)Check that your escape route is clear.verbsfollow a routeAre we following the right route?take a routeThey had been forced to take a longer route.plan your routeWe studied the map and planned our route.
Examples from the Corpus
route• Here the lady had to go on to her Iowa hometown by another route, and I got out.• a bus route• Climbing Everest by two different routes is sensational; almost nobody has been photographed twice on top.• It looked as though the most direct route was through the forest.• TWA sold some of its European routes to American Airlines.• The kingdom was on a main migratory route between the Hub and the Rim.• Rockland is hard to miss. Route 1 runs right through it.• I try to vary my route to and from work a little.• After a one-year hiatus the Honeywell Bracknell Half-marathon is back with a new route and a new date, June 7.• the westerly side of Route 128• Please ask at any Somerset Tourist Information Centre for details of these and other routes and for information on bicycle hire.• War has never been a painless route to peace.• Both of them have paper routes.• If you don't enjoy driving on the main highways, try some of the rural routes.• Why don't you take the scenic route?• It feels as if days have gone by in the ten hours since they drove this route in the opposite direction.• The first covers those sites where the main occupation is focused around the junction of two or more through routes.• There are two routes we can take - this one along the coast or this one through the mountains.take/follow a route• The blue group took a route through the city, where street battles with police occurred fairly early on.• Other nations might take routes to nuclear development once tried but abandoned by the United States.• Back at Olten, follow route 5 north-east to Aarau.• Skirting the lakeside, she took a route which led her in the opposite direction from him.• This suggestion was greeted with howls of laughter at the idea of anyone bothering to take a route that included Little Weirwold.• Eleven years ago, highway officials voted, in essence, to take Route 66 off the map.• Some bizarre quirk led Newman to take a route back to London past the bell tower where Sandy had died.• It is therefore important that you take a route which is likely to succeed.cycle route• They also want to integrate access with public transport and cycle routes.• Use of quieter, cleaner lorries and the development of cycle routes will be encouraged.• The principal conclusion was that in urban areas single cycle routes do not have a clear large-scale effect. routeroute2 AWL verb [transitive] TTSENDto send something somewhere using a particular routeroute something through/via something They had to route the goods through Germany. → re-route→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
route• The rule also pushes up costs, since a non-bank can not route all its card business through its main finance department.From Longman Business Dictionaryrouteroute1 /ruːtruːt, raʊt/ noun [countable]1a way from one place to another, especially a way that is regularly used by a bus, plane, ship etcWhat’s the best route to Cambridge?The London-New York route is the busiest.Is your office on a bus route?the disruption of shipping routes2en route (from/to/for) on the way somewhereWe remained in Belgrade for a few hours en route to Montenegro.3a way of doing something or achieving a particular resultWe believe the only route to continued success is to stay in touch with our customers.4Route 54,66 etc used to show the number of a main road in the USTake Route 95 through Connecticut.routeroute2 verb [transitive]TRANSPORT to send something or someone using a particular routeroute somebody/something through/by somethingThey had to route goods through Germany.→ See Verb tableOrigin route1 (1100-1200) Old French Vulgar Latin rupta (via) “broken way”, from Latin ruptus “broken” 