ROUTINE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does routine mean? 

• ROUTINE (noun)
  The noun ROUTINE has 3 senses:

1. an unvarying or habitual method or procedure

2. a short performance that is part of a longer program

3. a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program

  Familiarity information: ROUTINE used as a noun is uncommon.

• ROUTINE (adjective)
  The adjective ROUTINE has 1 sense:

1. found in the ordinary course of events

  Familiarity information: ROUTINE used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ROUTINE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unvarying or habitual method or procedure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

modus operandi; routine

Hypernyms ("routine" is a kind of...):

procedure; process (a particular course of action intended to achieve a result)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "routine"):

rat race (an exhausting routine that leaves no time for relaxation)

groove; rut (a settled and monotonous routine that is hard to escape)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A short performance that is part of a longer program

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

act; bit; number; routine; turn

Context example:

it was one of the best numbers he ever did

Hypernyms ("routine" is a kind of...):

performance; public presentation (a dramatic or musical entertainment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "routine"):

show-stopper; showstopper; stopper (an act so striking or impressive that the show must be delayed until the audience quiets down)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

function; procedure; routine; subprogram; subroutine

Hypernyms ("routine" is a kind of...):

computer software; package; software; software package; software program; software system ((computer science) written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "routine"):

cataloged procedure (a set of control statements that have been placed in a library and can be retrieved by name)

contingency procedure (an alternative to the normal procedure; triggered if an unusual but anticipated situation arises)

library routine (a debugged routine that is maintained in a program library)

random number generator (a routine designed to yield a random number)

recursive routine (a routine that can call itself)

reusable routine (a routine that can be loaded once and executed repeatedly)

executive routine; supervisory routine (a routine that coordinates the operation of subroutines)

tracing routine (a routine that provides a chronological record of the execution of a computer program)

service routine; utility routine (a routine that can be used as needed)

Holonyms ("routine" is a part of...):

computer program; computer programme; program; programme ((computer science) a sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and execute)

• ROUTINE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Found in the ordinary course of events

Synonyms:

everyday; mundane; quotidian; routine; unremarkable; workaday

Context example:

there's nothing quite like a real...train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute

Similar:

ordinary (not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree)

 Context examples 

A routine discharge where personal health maintenance will be administered and monitored by the patient from their home.

(Home Care, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Soon, you will yearn for a break in routine, and you’ll want to take a drive to new surroundings.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

They divided the men into three groups: a group who exercised before breakfast, a group who exercised after breakfast, and a control group who made no changes to their daily routines.

(Exercise before Breakfast Burns More Fat, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A person trained to provide technical advice and assistance concerning the routine maintenance and service of hospital equipment.

(Hospital Service Technician, NCI Thesaurus)

Usually involved in routine cellular metabolism.

(Housekeeping Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

“For women who had complications during their first pregnancy, routine health care — watching blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol— is just as critical.”

(First-time pregnancy complications linked to increased risk of hypertension later in life, National Institutes of Health)

They found that the bacterial, fungal, and viral communities were fairly stable over the time period studied despite the skin’s routine exposure to a wide range of environments during daily life.

(Skin microbes fairly stable over time, NIH)

Initially used as a research tool, immunocytochemistry has become routine in diagnostic work-up of diseases in pathology. — 2004

(Immunocytochemistry, NCI Thesaurus)

He was still suffering from this sudden disturbance of the quiet routine of his life.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Consul is away, and the Vice-Consul sick; so the routine work has been attended to by a clerk.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)