A troop; a throng; a company; an assembly; especially, a traveling company or throng.
A disorderly and tumultuous crowd; a mob; hence, the rabble; the herd of common people.
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.
To break the ranks of, as troops, and put them to flight in disorder; to put to rout.
To assemble in a crowd, whether orderly or disorderly; to collect in company.
cause to flee; "rout out the fighters from their caves"
A rout may be indicated by the Combat Card. This is the same as a defeat, except that (a) the winning side loses 1 step less than indicated by the Casualties Table or the losing side loses 1 extra step (winner's choice which); (b) the routed commander is disgraced (permanently removed from play) if he has political disfavor.
A crushing defeat where, often, the losers run from the field.
A rout is commonly defined as a chaotic and disorderly retreat or withdrawal of troops from a battlefield, resulting in the victory of the opposing party, or following defeat, a collapse of discipline, or poor morale. A routed army often degenerates into a sense of "every man for himself" as the surviving combatants attempt to flee to safety. A disorganized rout often results in much higher casualties for the retreating force than an orderly withdrawal.