trade route

noun

1
: one of the sea-lanes ordinarily used by merchant ships
2
: a route followed by traders (as in caravans)

Examples of trade route in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Over the past year, Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, including to Israel, have threatened the key trade route connecting Asia to the Middle East and Mediterranean. Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Dec. 2024 What's New China has voiced its support for Panama to retain control of the Panama Canal, after President-elect threatened to bring the vital trade route back under U.S. control. Theo Burman, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024 After Nabataea was annexed into the Roman Empire in A.D. 106, the inland trade routes controlled by the Nabataeans collapsed. Jasmine Baehr, Fox News, 24 Oct. 2024 On conventional maps of the Silk Road, trade routes spanning the Eurasian continent tend to avoid the mountains of Central Asia as much as possible. Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trade route 

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade route was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near trade route

Cite this Entry

“Trade route.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20route. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

trade route

noun
1
: one of the sea-lanes used by merchant ships
2
: a route followed by traders (as in caravans)

More from Merriam-Webster on trade route

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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