1
a
: a regular course of procedure
if resort to legal action becomes a campus routine—
J. A. Perkins
J. A. Perkins
b
: habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure
the routine of factory work
2
: a reiterated speech or formula
the old "After you" routine—Ray Russell
Ray Russell3
: a worked-out part (as of an entertainment or sports contest) that may be often repeated
a dance routine
especially
: a theatrical number
4
: a sequence of computer instructions for performing a particular task
1
: of a commonplace or repetitious character : ordinary
routine problems
2
: of, relating to, or being in accordance with established procedure
routine business
Synonyms
Examples of routine in a Sentence
Noun
Grandma gets upset if we change her routine.
A brisk walk is part of her morning routine.
The job will be easier once you settle into a routine.
the boring routine of paperwork
Adjective
The surgery has become a very routine operation and poses little danger.
He criticized her routine absence from important meetings.
The more you do it, the more routine it becomes.
They hire high-school students for routine work such as filing.
Data entry becomes routine very quickly.
Recent Examples on the WebJack Smart, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Grant Williams interrupted his typical pregame routine to make a beeline — straight for the Boston Celtics’ side of the court.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2024
Kamala Harris was spotted ordering In-N-Out’s famously mediocre fries during a 2021 visit, and Steph Curry’s been known to augment his workout routine by dribbling while juggling Chick-fil-A waffle fries.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Because of this, hair breakage caused by a damaging hair care routine (like use of excessive heat, chemical relaxers, and hair dye) can lead to hair loss.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
In order to yield the health benefits of exercise, the most important variable to consider is adhering to an exercise routine, regardless of intensity.
—Jason Sawyer, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2024
What brought these people all to one place in Baltimore Harbor — the Dali’s crew, the bridge laborers and the officers now hailed as heroes — were weeks and days and hours of routine.
—William Wan, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Attend conferences and events outside of your routine or industry.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Some automakers are pushing the limits even more -- evolving conveyances into personal assistants that can keep tabs on our daily routines and make conversation on those lonely and tiresome drives home.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
Joe Heim, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
This includes routine inspections and the use of weather instruments to determine wind speed and direction.
—Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
Doctors recommended Roloff undergo a routine upper endoscopy to figure out the problem.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Campus administration contacted a Southlake police school resource officer assigned to Carroll Senior High School regarding several pill bottles found in a teacher’s backpack during a routine third-party K-9 sweep, according to the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
According to other filings in the Serna family’s long-running civil case, some of the records that are supposed to be sealed were able to be accessed by one of the family’s lawyers during a routine visit to the El Cajon courthouse after the criminal case ended.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
Car seats, strollers, swings, infant carriers, and infant slings are not recommended for routine sleep.
—Jessica Booth, Parents, 3 Apr. 2024
Many of the homeowners in the county have seen contamination in their wells, requiring filtration or routine sanitation.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Worse is the snark, which is relentless, and mostly aimed at nothing worse than the routine careerism of intellectual life.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
During a stint in Las Vegas opening for Ann-Margret and her husband Roger Smith, Presley apparently caught Martin’s routine.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Grant Williams interrupted his typical pregame routine to make a beeline — straight for the Boston Celtics’ side of the court.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2024
Kamala Harris was spotted ordering In-N-Out’s famously mediocre fries during a 2021 visit, and Steph Curry’s been known to augment his workout routine by dribbling while juggling Chick-fil-A waffle fries.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Because of this, hair breakage caused by a damaging hair care routine (like use of excessive heat, chemical relaxers, and hair dye) can lead to hair loss.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
In order to yield the health benefits of exercise, the most important variable to consider is adhering to an exercise routine, regardless of intensity.
—Jason Sawyer, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2024
What brought these people all to one place in Baltimore Harbor — the Dali’s crew, the bridge laborers and the officers now hailed as heroes — were weeks and days and hours of routine.
—William Wan, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Attend conferences and events outside of your routine or industry.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Some automakers are pushing the limits even more -- evolving conveyances into personal assistants that can keep tabs on our daily routines and make conversation on those lonely and tiresome drives home.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The effort to change Federalsburg’s voting system began in 2022 with the ACLU’s routine review of whether census data matched representation in Maryland communities.
—Joe Heim, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
This includes routine inspections and the use of weather instruments to determine wind speed and direction.
—Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024
Doctors recommended Roloff undergo a routine upper endoscopy to figure out the problem.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
Campus administration contacted a Southlake police school resource officer assigned to Carroll Senior High School regarding several pill bottles found in a teacher’s backpack during a routine third-party K-9 sweep, according to the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
According to other filings in the Serna family’s long-running civil case, some of the records that are supposed to be sealed were able to be accessed by one of the family’s lawyers during a routine visit to the El Cajon courthouse after the criminal case ended.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
Car seats, strollers, swings, infant carriers, and infant slings are not recommended for routine sleep.
—Jessica Booth, Parents, 3 Apr. 2024
Many of the homeowners in the county have seen contamination in their wells, requiring filtration or routine sanitation.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Worse is the snark, which is relentless, and mostly aimed at nothing worse than the routine careerism of intellectual life.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'routine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing routine
Dictionary Entries Near routine
Cite this Entry
“Routine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/routine. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
routine
1 of 2 noun
rou·tine
rü-ˈtēn 
1
: a standard or regular way of doing something
2
: an often repeated speech or formula
3
: a part (as of an act or a sports performance) that is carefully worked out so it can be repeated often
a comedy routine
a dance routine
a gymnastic routine
4
: a set of computer instructions that will perform a certain job
routine
2 of 2 adjective2
: done or happening in a usual or standard way
routinely
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on routine
Nglish: Translation of routine for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of routine for Arabic Speakers
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