rut
/rʌt/ (bre, ipa) · /rʌt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈrət/ (ame, mw)
rut — noun
- rutsingular
- rutsplural
1. a dull, fixed pattern of life or work that feels very hard to escape from
a dull, fixed pattern of life or work that feels very hard to escape from
After five years in the same office, Hana felt she was stuck in a rut.
collocation: stuck in a rut
Yael decided to take up painting to escape the rut of her daily routine.
collocation: escape the rut of [something]
The team was in a rut, losing every game with the same tired tactics.
A weekend trip to the mountains helped Ramón get out of his rut.
- adventure
implies excitement, change, and new experiences — the opposite of a fixed routine
用法筆記
Almost always found in the fixed phrases in a rut, stuck in a rut, or get into a rut. Rarely used outside these patterns for this sense.
常見錯誤
2. a long thin groove pressed into soft earth or mud by the wheel of a vehicle pass
a long thin groove pressed into soft earth or mud by the wheel of a vehicle passing over the same spot
After the heavy rain, the cart left deep ruts across the muddy field.
collocation: deep rut
The bicycle wheels slipped sideways into the ruts on the old dirt road.
Farmers filled the ruts in the lane with small stones so the tractor could pass.
The path through the forest was full of deep ruts left by logging trucks.
常見錯誤
3. the time each year when adult male deer, elk, and similar animals feel a strong
the time each year when adult male deer, elk, and similar animals feel a strong desire to mate and fight for access to females
In autumn, the male deer enter the rut and fight each other for mates.
collocation: enter the rut
Park rangers close the forest trails during the elk rut to keep visitors safe.
preposition: during the [animal] rut
Loud calls from stags during the rut echoed through the valley at dawn.
Wildlife photographers visit the park each autumn to film the deer during the rut.
- mating season
a broader term covering both sexes; rut focuses on the male animal's period of heightened sexual activity
用法筆記
The noun rut in this sense is almost always used with the definite article (the rut) or a possessive (the deer's rut).
常見錯誤
4. (of a male deer, sheep, or similar animal) full of sexual energy at mating time,
(of a male deer, sheep, or similar animal) full of sexual energy at mating time, often shown by restless or aggressive behaviour
The farmer kept the bull separate from the herd when it was in rut.
pattern: in rut (describing state of animal)
A stag in rut is dangerous and may charge at anyone who comes too close.
The shepherds watched the rams carefully once they came into rut each autumn.
Zookeepers separate the male goats from the females when the animals are in rut.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (BREEDING SEASON): sense 3 names the time period; this sense describes the animal's physical and behavioural state. Used only as a predicate adjective after the verb be.
rut — verb
- rutpresent simple I / you / we / they
- ruts3rd person singular
- rutting-ing form
- ruttedpast simple
1. (of a male deer, goat, or similar animal) to reach the yearly period when it fee
(of a male deer, goat, or similar animal) to reach the yearly period when it feels a strong urge to mate and behaves restlessly or aggressively
In Yellowstone National Park, the older stags begin to rut in late August, weeks before the younger males.
intransitive: [animal] + rut; specific time reference
During September, the bull moose ruts and becomes very aggressive toward people who come near.
simple present for annual cycle
Male bighorn sheep rut on the mountain slopes during November each year.
By mid-October, the bull elk in Jasper National Park are rutting, so rangers close the backcountry trails.
用法筆記
Used of male ungulates only (deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats). Not used for domestic pets, birds, or humans.
2. to press grooves into the surface of soft ground or a road by the repeated movem
to press grooves into the surface of soft ground or a road by the repeated movement of heavy wheels
Heavy trucks rutted the dirt road so badly that cars could not drive on it.
transitive: [vehicle] + rut + [surface]
The old path was deeply rutted from years of horse-drawn carts passing by.
passive: be rutted
Constant traffic had rutted the lane so deeply that rainwater pooled in the grooves.
The tractor rutted the wet soil, making it hard to plant seeds the next spring.
- furrow
more commonly used for ploughing; rutted is specific to wheel-made grooves
用法筆記
Much more common in the past-participle form rutted used as an adjective ('a deeply rutted track') than in finite verb forms. The active voice is rare.