trailblaze
Americanverb (used with object)
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to blaze a trail through (a forest, wilderness, or the like) for others to follow.
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to be a pioneer in (a particular subject, technique, etc.).
verb (used without object)
Usage
What does trailblaze mean? To trailblaze is to literally make a trail where there wasn’t one, such as through a forest or an area of wilderness. In a figurative sense, it means to be the first (or one of the first) to do something, which allows others to follow in that “path” and build on that progress. The metaphorical meaning of trailblaze is much more common, and the noun trailblazer is more common than the verb. Example: Her book trailblazed a new kind of young adult fiction.
Etymology
Origin of trailblaze
Back formation from trailblazer
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.
The raging blaze near the city of Bordeaux has gutted a number of homes and forced 10,000 residents to flee.
From BBC • Aug. 11, 2022
“We’re fighting smaller fires instead of a raging blaze across the country and those smaller fires can be disruptive,” Michaud said.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2022
Video shows firefighters tackling the raging blaze that quickly spread from the attic of the Oakland Hills Country Club building as black smoke billowed into the air.
From Fox News • Feb. 17, 2022
Spanish troops are assisting firefighters battling a raging blaze that has emptied out Andalusian villages and burned through forestland for days.
From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2021
But on Wednesday night, roads near the iconic sign in Elmwood Park were illuminated by something else: a raging blaze that felled the sign and consumed the 1940s building that supported it.
From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2019
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.
