routine
- Top 3000
Sense 1
- noun
- B1
the fixed order of things a person does again and again, usually at the same times
Her morning routine takes about twenty minutes from bed to door.
Babies usually sleep better when they have a steady daily routine.
After the move it took us weeks to find a routine.
Travelling breaks my routine, and I eat at strange hours.
Common collocations: daily routine · morning routine · get into a routine · stick to a routine · break the routine
Part of: Frequency and duration, Times of day, Exercise and fitness
Sense 2 · less common
- adjective
- B2
done as a normal, regular part of a job or process, not because something is wrong
The doctor ordered a routine blood test, nothing to worry about.
Routine checks of the machines are done every Friday afternoon.
It was a routine question, so she answered without thinking.
Common collocations: routine check · routine inspection · routine maintenance · routine questions · purely routine
Part of: Frequency and duration, At the doctor's, The office
Sense 3 · less common
- noun
- B2
a short set of dance steps, jokes or exercises that a performer has practised in a fixed order
She practised her dance routine until every step felt automatic.
The gymnast slipped once but finished her routine with a smile.
Their comedy routine lasted ten minutes and had everybody laughing.
Common collocations: dance routine · comedy routine · floor routine · perform a routine · practise a routine
Forms
- plural
- routines