en route

American  

[ahn root, en, ahn root] / ɑn ˈrut, ɛn, ɑ̃ ˈrut /

adverb

1. on the way.

   The plane crashed en route from Cairo to Athens.

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en route British  

/ ɑ̃ rut, ɒn ˈruːt /

adverb

1. on or along the way; on the road

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en route Idioms  

1. On or along the way, as in We'll pick up Dan en route to the restaurant, or We can finish our discussion en route. This French term was adopted into English in the late 1700s.

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Etymology

Origin of en route

Borrowed into English from French around 1770–80

Example Sentences

He dialed into our interview from a tour bus departing from Austin, Texas, en route to the next concert venue on the Dinastía Tour by Peso Pluma, Tito Double P and friends.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Last season, the Spurs were the very definition of a work-in-progress, losing games by an average of 2.8 points per game en route to a 34-48 record.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Betts’ viral block is what sealed UCLA’s win over Texas at the Final Four en route to the Bruins’ championship win earlier this month.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The Nasdaq Composite got a boost from an old friend en route to its ninth-consecutive gain.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

While Palsson was en route to Japan, a group of stalwart Icelanders met in Reykjavik to discuss whether there was any way asylum could be offered to Fischer.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady