What does rerouting mean?
Rerouting means changing the planned or usual course of a journey, shipment, message, stream of traffic, or other process. Instead of continuing along the original path, something is sent elsewhere by an alternative route. The word is especially common in transport and logistics, such as rerouting a flight around bad weather or diverting road traffic around an accident, but it is also used in computing, telecommunications, and business. As a noun, it refers both to the act of choosing another route and sometimes to the resulting arrangement. As a verb form, it describes the action itself: planners rerouted the shipment when the original port closed. The prefix re- clearly indicates repetition or reversal, while route provides the central idea of a path between an origin and a destination.
The act of changing the route or course of travel, communication, traffic, or a process.
"The rerouting of deliveries allowed the warehouse to continue operating."
Often used in transport, logistics, telecommunications, and infrastructure contexts.
To change or direct something along a different route or course.
"The operator rerouted the train around the flooded track."
Common as the present participle or gerund of 'reroute'; the infinitive 'reroute' is more usual in formal prose.
The plural is grammatical but uncommon because rerouting is more often used as a mass noun.
"The successive reroutings caused confusion among passengers."
Rerouting turns an unexpected detour into a deliberate change of course.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rerouting come from?
Rerouting is formed from the English word route with the prefix re-, meaning to do something again or to change something back or otherwise. Route comes through Old French from Latin rupta, a past participle of rumpere meaning “to break,” originally referring to a broken or opened path through impassable terrain. The modern sense of a way or course developed from that historical image. Several English forms, including routing and router, share the same basic word.
Related word forms
How rerouting is actually used
Common in transportation, logistics, computing, telecommunications, and business-process contexts. It can be slightly formal, while the verb form 'reroute' is often more natural in everyday use.