en route

[ ahn root, en; French ahn root ]

adverb

1. on the way:

   The plane crashed en route from Cairo to Athens.

en route

/ ɑ̃ rut; ɒn ˈruːt /

adverb

1. on or along the way; on the road

Word History and Origins

Origin of en route¹

Borrowed into English from French around 1770–80

Word History and Origins

Origin of en route¹

C18: from French

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

This travel umbrella, which comes in a matching case, is small enough to stow in the car en route to an Academy Awards party.

From Los Angeles Times

Police were called to the intersection — a few blocks from Angel Stadium, in an area dotted with businesses and apartments — but while en route they received additional reports of injuries.

From Los Angeles Times

The Rams lost the season opener in overtime at Detroit and got routed by the Arizona Cardinals en route to a 1-4 start.

From Los Angeles Times

Speaking to reporters en route, he said he wanted to discuss current challenges with Commonwealth leaders, especially climate change, rather than issues of the past.

From BBC

It quotes military sources as saying it came down in the Malha area, near the border with Chad, en route to the besieged city of el-Fasher.

From BBC