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 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
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
I got updates that said any teachers who want to try and do online classes can trailblaze how to figure that out.
From Slate
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.
