This new book the whole world makes such a rout about.
--Sterne.
``My child, it is not well,'' I said, ``Among the
graves to shout; To laugh and play among the dead, And
make this noisy rout.'' --Trench.
{To rout out}
(a) To turn up to view, as if by rooting; to discover; to
find.
(b) To turn out by force or compulsion; as, to rout people
out of bed. [Colloq.]
And ever he rode the hinderest of the route.
--Chaucer.
A rout of people there assembled were. --Spenser.
2. A disorderly and tumultuous crowd; a mob; hence, the
rabble; the herd of common people.
the endless routs of wretched thralls. --Spenser.
The ringleader and head of all this rout. --Shak.
Nor do I name of men the common rout. --Milton.
3. The state of being disorganized and thrown into confusion;
-- said especially of an army defeated, broken in pieces,
and put to flight in disorder or panic; also, the act of
defeating and breaking up an army; as, the rout of the
enemy was complete.
thy army . . . Dispersed in rout, betook them all to
fly. --Daniel.
To these giad conquest, murderous rout to those.
--pope.
4. (Law) A disturbance of the peace by persons assembled
together with intent to do a thing which, if executed,
would make them rioters, and actually making a motion
toward the executing thereof. --Wharton.
5. A fashionable assembly, or large evening party. ``At routs
and dances.'' --Landor.
{To put to rout}, to defeat and throw into confusion; to
overthrow and put to flight.
That party . . . that charged the Scots, so totally
routed and defeated their whole army, that they fied.
--Clarendon.
Syn: To defeat; discomfit; overpower; overthrow.
In all that land no Christian[s] durste route.
--Chaucer.