path
noun
a way beaten, formed, or trodden by the feet of persons or animals.
Jump To:
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path
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path-
path-variant of patho- before a vowel.
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-path
-patha combining form occurring in personal nouns corresponding to abstract nouns ending in -pathy, with the general sense “one practicing such a treatment” (osteopath ) or “one having such an ailment” (psychopath ).
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path.
path.abbreviationpathological.
path
1 American
[path, pahth]
/ pæθ, pɑθ /
noun
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paths
plural
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a way beaten, formed, or trodden by the feet of persons or animals.
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a narrow walk or way.
a path through a garden; a bicycle path.
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a route, course, or track along which something moves.
the path of a hurricane.
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a course of action, conduct, or procedure.
the path of righteousness.
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Mathematics. a continuous curve that connects two or more points.
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Computers. the sequence of steps that a computer follows in carrying out a routine, as in storing and retrieving a file at a specific location.
idioms
path-
2
American
-path
3
American
path.
4
American
abbreviation
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pathological.
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pathology.
path
1
British
/ pɑːθ /
noun
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a road or way, esp a narrow trodden track
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a surfaced walk, as through a garden
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the course or direction in which something moves
the path of a whirlwind
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a course of conduct
the path of virtue
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computing the directions for reaching a particular file or directory, as traced hierarchically through each of the parent directories usually from the root; the file or directoryand all parent directories are separated from one another in the path by slashes
-path
2
British
combining form
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denoting a person suffering from a specified disease or disorder
neuropath
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denoting a practitioner of a particular method of treatment
osteopath
path.
3
British
/ pæθ /
abbreviation
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pathological
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pathology
path
More Idioms
Usage
What is a basic definition of path? A path is a way formed by people or animals, a narrow track, or a route that something takes. Path has a few other senses as a noun. A path is an improvised trail that has been created by people or animals repeatedly following it. A path through the woods, for example, may simply be ground worn down to packed dirt. Paths like these are not planned but often result from many people or animals taking the same way through a place and moving any debris or objects, such as rocks, that may have once been in the way.
- Real-life examples: Hikers often navigate paths through forests and mountainous areas. It is wise to avoid paths that appear to have been made by dangerous animals, like wolves or bears.
- Used in a sentence: We followed a dirt path through the woods.
- Used in a sentence: She walked up the cobblestone path to her uncle’s house.
- Real-life examples: Meteorologists track the paths of hurricanes, tornados, and thunderstorms. A runaway train is likely to destroy everything in its path. Students pursue many different career paths after finishing their studies.
- Used in a sentence: I made sure to be far away from the path of the angry bull.
What does -path mean? The combining form -path is used like a suffix to mean either “one administering a treatment” or "one suffering from such an ailment." It is the personal noun form of words ending in -pathy, which means variously "suffering," "disease," and "treatment of disease." It is often used in medical terms, especially in pathology. The form -path ultimately comes from Greek pátheia, meaning “suffering” or “feeling.” It shares an origin with the English word pathos. You can learn more about the meaning of pathos at our entry for the word. What are variants of -path?While -path doesn’t have any immediate variants, it is closely related to three other combining forms, -pathia, -pathic, and -pathy. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for all three forms.
Synonym Usage
Path, lane, trail are passages or routes not as wide as a way or road. A path is a way for passing on foot; a track, beaten by feet, not specially constructed, is often along the side of a road: a path through a field. A lane is a narrow road or track, generally between fields, often enclosed with fences or trees; sometimes it is an alley or narrow road between buildings in towns: a lane leading to a farmhouse; Drury Lane. A trail is a rough way made or worn through woods, or across mountains, prairies, or other untraveled regions: an Indian trail.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of path
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English pæth; cognate with German Pfad
Explanation
A path is a route that's meant for walking. You might follow a path up a mountain as you hike, or follow a winding path throughout your life. Paths are often created by people's feet wearing a trail into the ground or through the snow, for example. You can also create a path by laying flat stones in line through a yard or around a garden. Another kind of path is the route something takes as it moves, like a speedboat's path in the water or, figuratively, the path your life takes as you grow older.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Julie Masino quietly blessed efforts to find her successor as she publicly charted a path out of a controversial rebranding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The South Korean singer-songwriter felt it was time to follow his own creative path, with a musical direction that was self-defined by his strong artistic vision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
"With dogs, the story is totally different. They followed a very different evolutionary path, yet through domestication, they developed the social abilities needed to understand and cooperate with us."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The partial eclipse -- which occurs as the Moon starts and finishes crossing the Sun's path -- will last around one hour and 45 minutes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Then we started for the path to the beach.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
She settled back into her chair, a path- of-least-resistance look on her face, which meant I had to put up a stiff fight in precisely the right spots.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
For down the path- way Steals a fragrance honey-sweet.
From The Verse-Book of a Homely Woman by Fay Inchfawn
Veld-bred as she was, the business of path- finding was with her an instinct, like that of throwing up your hand to guard your eyes when sparks spout from the fire.
From Vrouw Grobelaar and Her Leading Cases Seventeen Short Stories by Perceval Gibbon
She has built herself a very pretty small house in the path-, and is only a daily visiter.
From The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 1 by Peter Cunningham
"It's so easy for them to order us around. But I did not directly fight back. I made my own path. I could see what freedom looked like," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
And in terms of seizing Greenland, he said separately that he blamed “whoever told the president that this was a viable path. It doesn’t make sense.”
From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2026
“I thought it sounded cool to go somewhere off the beaten path. Do some whale watching, see some glaciers, things like that,” Paruchuri said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2025
“I had to bring in my son to help me identify with the crazy Generation Z, because they do what they want. They follow their own path. They have their own rules,” O’Neal said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2025
“Not everything they teach you is true. I have chosen my own path. So must you.”
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
“We always had this idea of the angel and the devil influences on Tony and the two paths that were laid in front of him,” Howe says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
More recent work suggests that parenting style might not directly affect a child’s personality but can influence the paths they take or interests they pursue.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Its overall light field oscillated in the same direction, even though it contained photons of different colors traveling along many different paths.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
The president of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica, George Kalliakmanis, said it was "possible" Ross and Ahmadzai has crossed paths through charity work.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The thing was, there were no dirt paths crossing Main Street . . . and no forests in Blodgett's Crossing.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
