rout

C1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ɹaʊt/ UK /ɹaʊt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a disorderly retreat of defeated troops

The enemy was in full rout after the surprise attack.
2

noun
a decisive or overwhelming defeat

The team suffered a rout in the championship game.
3

noun
a large, noisy, and disorderly crowd

The rout of fans gathered outside the stadium.
4

verb
to defeat completely and scatter in disorder

The home team routed their opponents with a score of 5-0.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with rout

rout out Phrasal verb C1

to discover or obtain something by searching thoroughly

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a disorderly retreat of... flight retreat stampede panic

2 noun · a decisive or overwhelming... trouncingdrubbingbeatingthrashingannihilation

3 noun · a large, noisy, and... mob throng horde rabble

4 verb · to defeat completely and... disperse scatterdrive awayput to flighttrounce

Opposites

victory triumph win conquest

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

rout out
to discover or obtain something by searching thoroughly

Verb + adverb

Simplified etymology

Rout in the sense of a decisive defeat dates from the late 16th century and ultimately derives from Latin rupta “broken.” Its meaning developed from the image of an army whose formation had been broken.

Etymology

rout (Modern English, 'disorderly retreat or defeat'); from Latin _rumpere_ ('to break') and its participle _rupta_ ('a breaking; a defeat'), via Old French _route_ and Middle English _rout_ (14th c., 'a disorderly retreat').

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# rout

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ɹaʊt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹaʊt/

## Meanings
1. a disorderly retreat of defeated troops
2. a decisive or overwhelming defeat
3. a large, noisy, and disorderly crowd
4. to defeat completely and scatter in disorder

## Examples
- The enemy was in full rout after the surprise attack.
- The team suffered a rout in the championship game.
- The rout of fans gathered outside the stadium.
- The home team routed their opponents with a score of 5-0.

## Synonyms
- flight
- retreat
- stampede
- panic
- trouncing
- drubbing
- beating
- thrashing
- disperse
- scatter
- drive away
- trounce

## Antonyms
- victory
- triumph
- win
- conquest

## Etymology
rout (Modern English, 'disorderly retreat or defeat'); from Latin _rumpere_ ('to break') and its participle _rupta_ ('a breaking; a defeat'), via Old French _route_ and Middle English _rout_ (14th c., 'a disorderly retreat').

## AI Etymology
Rout is a Modern English word meaning 'disorderly retreat or defeat', from Latin rumpere ('to break') and its participle rupta ('a breaking; a defeat'), via Old French route and Middle English rout (14th c., 'a disorderly retreat'). In current use it is a noun and verb meaning "a disorderly retreat of defeated troops". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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