routine

American  

[roo-teen] / ruˈtin /

noun

1. a customary or regular course of procedure.

2. commonplace tasks, chores, or duties as must be done regularly or at specified intervals; typical or everyday activity.

   the routine of an office.

3. regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.

4. an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response.

   Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!

5. Computers.

   1. a complete set of coded instructions directing a computer to perform a series of operations.

   2. a series of operations performed by the computer.

6. an individual act, performance, or part of a performance, as a song or dance, given regularly by an entertainer.

   a comic routine; a dance routine.

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adjective

1. of the nature of, proceeding by, or adhering to routine.

   routine duties.

2. dull or uninteresting; commonplace.

   Synonyms:

   typical, ordinary, habitual

routine British  

/ ruːˈtiːn /

noun

1. a usual or regular method of procedure, esp one that is unvarying

2. computing a program or part of a program performing a specific function

   an input routine

   an output routine

3. a set sequence of dance steps

4. informal a hackneyed or insincere speech

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of routine

Other Word Forms

• nonroutine adjective
• routinely adverb
• routineness noun
• unroutine adjective

Etymology

Origin of routine

First recorded in 1670–80; from French, derivative of route route

Example Sentences

Months later, on a routine mental health walk near the Mar Vista park, I heard a podcast clip that stopped me in my tracks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Early investigative advice is a routine part of many police investigations - particularly in serious, complex and high profile cases.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Longevity biohacker and Bulletproof Coffee founder Dave Asprey started integrating EMS into his routine more than a decade ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Iran's Fars news agency reported explosions and power outages in parts of Tehran, where residents painted a picture of a city that is still clinging to some routine despite tight security.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Next up, three girls from the fifth grade did a dance routine to a Madonna song.

From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Related Words

• act
• custom
• cycle
• drill
• groove
• habit
• method
• pace
• pattern
• piece
• practice
• procedure
• program
• system
• technique
• use