rout

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A disorderly retreat or flight following defeat.
2. n. An overwhelming defeat.
3. n. A disorderly crowd of people; a mob.
4. n. People of the lowest class; rabble.
5. n. A public disturbance; a riot.
6. n. A company, as of knights or wolves, that are in movement. See Synonyms at flock¹.
7. n. A fashionable gathering.
8. v. To put to disorderly flight or retreat: "the flock of starlings which Jasper had routed with his gun” ( Virginia Woolf).
9. v. To defeat overwhelmingly. See Synonyms at defeat.
10. v. To dig with the snout; root.
11. v. To poke around; rummage.
12. v. To expose to view as if by digging; uncover.
13. v. To hollow, scoop, or gouge out.
14. v. To drive or force out as if by digging; eject: rout out an informant.
15. v. Archaic To dig up with the snout.
16. v. Chiefly British To bellow. Used of cattle.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make a noise; roar; bellow, as a bull or cow; snort, as a horse.
2. . To snore.
3. . To howl, as the wind; make a roaring noise.
4. n. A loud noise; uproar; tumult.
5. n. . Snoring. Chaucer (ed. Morris).
6. n. A stunning blow.
7. To turn up with the snout; root, as a hog: same as root, 1.
8. In mech., to deepen; scoop out; cut out; dig out, as moldings, the spaces between and around block-letters, bookbinders' stamps, etc.
9. To root; rummage or poke about.
10. n. A troop; a band; a company in general, either of persons or of animals; specifically, a pack of wolves; any irregular or casual aggregation of beings; a crowd.
11. n. A disorderly or confused crowd of persons; a tumultuous rabble; used absolutely, the general or vulgar mass; the rabble.
12. n. A large social assemblage; a general gathering of guests for entertainment; a crowded evening party.
13. n. At common law, an assemblage of three or more persons breaking or threatening to break the peace; a company which is engaged in or has made some movement toward unlawful action.
14. To collect together; assemble in a company.
15. n. A defeat followed by confused or tumultuous retreat; disorderly flight caused by defeat, as of an army or any body of contestants; hence, any thorough repulse, overthrow, or discomfiture: as, to put an army to rout.
16. To put to rout; drive into disordered flight by defeat, as an armed force; hence, to defeat or repulse thoroughly; drive off or dispel, as something of an inimical character.
17. To drive or force, as from a state of repose, concealment. or the like; urge or incite to movement or activity; hence, to draw or drag (forth or out): generally with out or up: as, to rout out a lot of intruders; to rout up a sleeper; to rout out a secret hoard or a recondite fact. See router-out.
18. Synonyms Overwhelm, Overthrow, etc. See defeat.
19. To crowd or be driven into a confused mass, as from panic following defeat, or from any external force.
20. To start up hurriedly; turn out suddenly or reluctantly, as from a state of repose.
21. n. See route.
22. n. The brent or brant-goose, Bernicla brenta.
23. To extricate from (other things); hunt up; dig (out); with out.

Wiktionary

1. v. intransitive To make a noise; roar; bellow; snort.
2. v. intransitive To snore; snore loudly.
3. v. intransitive To belch.
4. v. intransitive To howl as the wind; make a roaring noise.
5. n. A noise; a loud noise; a bellowing; a shouting; clamor; an uproar; disturbance; tumult.
6. n. Snoring.
7. v. transitive To beat; strike; assail with blows.
8. n. A violent movement; a great or violent stir; a heavy blow; a stunning blow; a stroke.
9. n. A troop; a throng; a company; an assembly; especially, a traveling company or throng.
10. n. A disorderly and tumultuous crowd; a mob; hence, the rabble; the herd of common people.
11. n. 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.
12. n. 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.
13. n. A fashionable assembly, or large evening party.
14. v. transitive To defeat completely, forcing into disorderly retreat.
15. v. obsolete, intransitive To assemble in a crowd, whether orderly or disorderly; to collect in company.
16. v. To search or root in the ground, as a swine.
17. v. To scoop out with a gouge or other tool; to furrow.
18. v. To use a router in woodworking.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. Obs. or Scot. To roar; to bellow; to snort; to snore loudly.
2. n. A bellowing; a shouting; noise; clamor; uproar; disturbance; tumult.
3. v. To scoop out with a gouge or other tool; to furrow.
4. v. To search or root in the ground, as a swine.
5. n. obsolete A troop; a throng; a company; an assembly; especially, a traveling company or throng.
6. n. A disorderly and tumultuous crowd; a mob; hence, the rabble; the herd of common people.
7. n. 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.
8. n. (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.
9. n. A fashionable assembly, or large evening party.
10. v. To break the ranks of, as troops, and put them to flight in disorder; to put to rout.
11. v. obs. To assemble in a crowd, whether orderly or disorderly; to collect in company.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a disorderly crowd of people
2. v. defeat disastrously
3. v. dig with the snout
4. v. make a groove in
5. v. cause to flee
6. n. an overwhelming defeat