bleɪz ə treɪl
Travel
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- to mark trees by cutting bark to create a visible path
What does "blaze a trail" mean?
to be the first to do something and create a path for others to follow
Examples
- Marie Curie blazed a trail for women in science.
- The startup is blazing a trail in renewable energy technology.
- As the first in her family to attend university, she blazed a trail for her younger siblings.
Origin
From the American frontier practice of marking trees to create paths through dense forest.
How to use it
Strongly positive connotation. The noun 'trailblazer' is equally popular.
Similar expressions
break new ground
pioneer
lead the way
Opposites
follow the crowd
play it safe
Related idioms
- hit the road
To leave or depart on a journey
- in the same boat
In the same difficult situation as someone else
- miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
- go the extra mile
to make more effort than is expected or required
- a long way to go
much more work or progress is needed before completion
- that ship has sailed
The opportunity has passed
Use it in a practice answer
Try "blaze a trail" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.