trailblaze

[treyl-bleyz]

verb (used with object)

trailblazed, trailblazing 

1. to blaze a trail through (a forest, wilderness, or the like) for others to follow.

2. to be a pioneer in (a particular subject, technique, etc.).

verb (used without object)

trailblazed, trailblazing 

1. to work or serve as a trailblazer.

Word History and Origins

Origin of trailblaze¹

Back formation from trailblazer

Example Sentences

The proposed headline for the Pali Strong story started with these two words: “Students Trailblaze.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the documentary, Mermaid Morgana Alba was somebody I wanted to focus on because she really has been at the forefront of trying to trailblaze and make things safer for the artists.

From Salon

The next phase, which not everyone progresses to, is the hyperemetic phase, and is when that “constant vomiting” occurs, as Alice Moon, who works at the cannabis-focused PR firm Trailblaze explained to me.

From Slate

Image: Apple When the company first added USB-C to its laptops with the 2015 MacBook, much ado was made about how Apple was — once again — trying to trailblaze a path to a new hardware standard.

From The Verge

“We could have easily moved to L.A., but we wanted to trailblaze something new. Everyone in L.A. is trying to fight to get a seat at the table, while we’re in Atlanta building our own table.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• accompany 
• advise 
• educate 
• escort 
• govern 
• handle 
• influence 
• instruct 
• manage 
• maneuver 
• navigate 
• oversee 
• regulate 
• see 
• shepherd 
• steer 
• supervise 
• sway 
• teach 
• train 

When To Use

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.