pathbreaker
Americannoun
-
a person who blazes a trail or path; pathfinder.
-
a pioneer or innovator.
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.
Elon Musk is a pathbreaker, and Tesla has been the target of several securities class actions.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The retired Army general was widely praised as a pathbreaker, having been the first Black person to serve as U.S. secretary of state and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2021
Mr. Powell was a pathbreaker, serving as the country’s first Black national security adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state.
From New York Times • Oct. 18, 2021
Ilhan Omar: The first-term Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota is a pathbreaker on many levels.
From Washington Post • Jan. 3, 2020
Admired as a pathbreaker, Elizebeth is now regarded as a role model—a woman who excelled in a technical field through her courage, smarts, and grit.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
