trailblazer

noun

trail·​blaz·​er ˈtrāl-ˌblā-zər 

1

: pioneer sense 2

a trailblazer in astrophysics

2

: one that blazes a trail to guide others : pathfinder

Word Icons

Examples of trailblazer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Candice Drakeford, the WNBA’s creative director, the image spots are an opportunity to pay tribute and demonstrate that the league was built on the back of trailblazers like Swoopes. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026

Prior to this point, the Dead were intergalactic musical trailblazers with a grounding in the earthy rhythm and blues of this world of ours. —Colin Fleming, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026

The film focuses on three of these women—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson—who were trailblazers for African American women in science and engineering. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2026

In Aries – the zodiac’s fearless trailblazer — the sun burns hotter and brighter. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for trailblazer

• appraiser
• fundraiser
• blazer
• gazer
• glazer
• kayser
• laser
• lazar
• maser
• mazer
• phasor
• raiser

Kids Definition

trailblazer

noun

trail·​blaz·​er ˈtrā(ə)l-ˌblā-zər 

: someone who prepares the way for others who follow: as

a

: pathfinder

b

: pioneer entry 1 sense 1