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 WebSamantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
How To Strengthen Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers Adding strength training into your routine can help build fast-twitch muscle fibers.
—Tiffany Ayuda, Health, 13 Apr. 2024
Always speak with a healthcare professional before adding a supplement to your routine to ensure that the supplement is appropriate for your individual needs and which dosage to take.
—Erika Prouty, Verywell Health, 11 Apr. 2024
The first part of The Ritual Effect focuses on differentiating rituals from habits or routines.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 11 Apr. 2024
Even though Chris Squire’s thunderous bass is somewhat low in these mixes, Progeny offers illuminating insight into the touring routine of a band that, at that time, appeared to exist in a permanent state of grace.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
What are your current self-care and beauty routines?
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
What are Taco Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays or Friday-night dinners if not simple routines, repeated again and again?
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Plus, Garner has already integrated the semi and fully-automatic machines, which range in price from $700 to $2,000, into her ever-changing coffee routine.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
The Padres then tied the score at 3-3, scoring on a routine double play and two-out infield single from Jackson Merrill, who reached safely after Mookie Betts made a diving stop of his ground ball up the middle but fired an errant throw to first base.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
To place the 25 chips in Bussard’s brain, surgeons performed a routine craniotomy to remove a piece of his skull.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
Hamm and his firms have been sued a handful of times over the past decade in what appear to be routine legal disputes, court records show.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Normally routine health and safety checks with police dragged on for several hours, said one organizer who declined to be named for fear of legal repercussions.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Gua sha, a traditional Chinese face-scraping tool, has become a beauty routine staple for influencers and beauty enthusiasts alike.
—Jenn Barthole, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
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
Noun
Simplify your travel beauty routine with the Elta MD Daily UV Tinted Sunscreen.
—Samantha Leal, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
How To Strengthen Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers Adding strength training into your routine can help build fast-twitch muscle fibers.
—Tiffany Ayuda, Health, 13 Apr. 2024
Always speak with a healthcare professional before adding a supplement to your routine to ensure that the supplement is appropriate for your individual needs and which dosage to take.
—Erika Prouty, Verywell Health, 11 Apr. 2024
The first part of The Ritual Effect focuses on differentiating rituals from habits or routines.
—Grace McCarty, SELF, 11 Apr. 2024
Even though Chris Squire’s thunderous bass is somewhat low in these mixes, Progeny offers illuminating insight into the touring routine of a band that, at that time, appeared to exist in a permanent state of grace.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
What are your current self-care and beauty routines?
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
What are Taco Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays or Friday-night dinners if not simple routines, repeated again and again?
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Plus, Garner has already integrated the semi and fully-automatic machines, which range in price from $700 to $2,000, into her ever-changing coffee routine.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
In fact, almost one-third of retirees suffer from depression because of the loss of routine, structure, a social circle, and so on.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
The Padres then tied the score at 3-3, scoring on a routine double play and two-out infield single from Jackson Merrill, who reached safely after Mookie Betts made a diving stop of his ground ball up the middle but fired an errant throw to first base.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
To place the 25 chips in Bussard’s brain, surgeons performed a routine craniotomy to remove a piece of his skull.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
Hamm and his firms have been sued a handful of times over the past decade in what appear to be routine legal disputes, court records show.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Normally routine health and safety checks with police dragged on for several hours, said one organizer who declined to be named for fear of legal repercussions.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
In an upset on the House floor, the measure, which would extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702, failed what is normally a routine procedural test.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Gua sha, a traditional Chinese face-scraping tool, has become a beauty routine staple for influencers and beauty enthusiasts alike.
—Jenn Barthole, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near routine
Cite this Entry
“Routine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/routine. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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