routine

noun

1. 1

   A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.

2. 2

   A set of normal procedures, often performed mechanically.

   Connie was completely robotic and emotionless by age 12; her entire life had become one big routine.

   It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.

3. 3

   A set piece of an entertainer's act.

   stand-up comedy routine

4. 4

   A performance, execution of gymnastics for one of the apparatus.

5. 5

   A set of instructions designed to perform a specific task; a subroutine.

adjective

1. 1

   According to established procedure.

   "Morning, inspector," affably remarked the cripple—he had not failed to observe the badge—"rather early for your job, eh? Nothing wrong with our supply up here, I hope, eh?" "Nothing at all, sir," said the inspector. "Just an ordinary routine round. We do them regularly."

2. 2

   Regular; habitual.

   Pepper's forgiven me in the quiet, hurt way women sometimes forgive. She doesn't cry. She doesn't smile either. She's being routine.

   Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.[…]One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. Modern society may not have done anything about war. But peace is a lot more peaceful.

3. 3

   Ordinary with nothing to distinguish it from all the others.

   Stoke put themselves in a fine position to qualify for the Europa League knockout stage with a routine victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel.

Forms

plural

routines

comparative

more routine

superlative

most routine