I. route 1 S3 W2 AC /ruːt $ ruːt, raʊt/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Vulgar Latin rupta (via) 'broken way' , from Latin ruptus 'broken' ]
1 . a way from one place to another
route 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 home
2 . a way between two places that buses, planes, ships etc regularly travel
bus/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 . a way of doing something or achieving a particular result
route to
the surest route to disaster
Kennedy arrived at the same conclusion by a different route.
4 . Route 66/54 etc used to show the number of a main road in the US ⇨ ↑ paper route
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + route
▪ a direct route
The motorway is the most direct route.
▪ the best route
Let's look at the map and work out the best route.
▪ the quickest/shortest route
We 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 route
She followed the northerly route across Spain to Bilbao.
▪ the same route
He had intended to return by the same route.
▪ a different route
Is 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.
■ verbs
▪ follow a route
Are we following the right route?
▪ take a route
They had been forced to take a longer route.
▪ plan your route
We studied the map and planned our route.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ how to go to a place
▪ way the road, path, direction etc that you must take in order to get to a place:
Are you sure this is the right way to the sea?
|
Will you come with me? I don’t know the way.
▪ route a way from one place to another that people use regularly or that is shown on a map:
There are two routes we could take but this is the quickest one.
|
the overland trade route between Europe and China
▪ directions instructions on how to get to a place:
Let’s stop and ask someone for directions.
|
If you follow these directions you’ll have no problem finding the house.
▪ short cut a way of getting somewhere that is shorter than the usual way:
Let’s take a short cut across the field.
|
Taxi-drivers know all the short cuts.
▪ how to get to ... especially spoken used especially when you ask someone to tell you which is the right way:
Can you tell me how to get to Grand Central Station?
|
It was getting dark and I wasn’t sure how to get home.
II. route 2 AC BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to send something somewhere using a particular route
route something through/via something
They had to route the goods through Germany.
⇨ ↑ re-route