blaze a trail
idiom
1
: to show a trail with marks on trees
We followed a trail that others had blazed.
2
: to be the first one to do something and to show others how to do it
The company blazed a trail with the first small computers.
She blazed a trail for other women in politics.
Examples of blaze a trail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a woman of color, and the daughter of two immigrants, Harris, 59, has talked about the responsibility to blaze a trail for others who follow.
—
Niha Masih, Washington Post, 23 July 2024
Westminster’s claim as home to the metro area’s largest off-leash dog park — 440 acres of prairie nudged against the edge of the Rocky Mountain foothills where dogs can blaze a trail untethered — has gotten a big boost.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 9 July 2024
With a legacy of service and a heart for humanity, Mark Leonard continues to blaze a trail of hope, lighting the way for generations to come.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 29 May 2024
Then, in the twentieth century, the Soviet Union claimed a different sort of special destiny as the first country to blaze a trail toward the bright communist future—a claim that faded with the fall of communism.
—Iver B. Neumann, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2017
Nemo's victory would blaze a trail for others who had had to cope with prejudice against non-binary people, said Nater.
—Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Ras and Kathy Vaughan wanted to blaze a trail — sort of.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
The group emerged from the vibrant New York underground rock scene of the early 1980s and went on to blaze a trail of independence and innovation throughout the rock world, even after signing to major label Geffen Records in 1990.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
Uy, who joined the UMass Lowell faculty in 2011, already has helped blaze a trail for Southeast Asian educators as the first Lao refugee to be granted tenure as a professor of education in the nation, and the first to earn an education doctorate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Apr. 2021
Niha Masih, Washington Post, 23 July 2024
Westminster’s claim as home to the metro area’s largest off-leash dog park — 440 acres of prairie nudged against the edge of the Rocky Mountain foothills where dogs can blaze a trail untethered — has gotten a big boost.
—John Aguilar, The Denver Post, 9 July 2024
With a legacy of service and a heart for humanity, Mark Leonard continues to blaze a trail of hope, lighting the way for generations to come.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 29 May 2024
Then, in the twentieth century, the Soviet Union claimed a different sort of special destiny as the first country to blaze a trail toward the bright communist future—a claim that faded with the fall of communism.
—Iver B. Neumann, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2017
Nemo's victory would blaze a trail for others who had had to cope with prejudice against non-binary people, said Nater.
—Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
Ras and Kathy Vaughan wanted to blaze a trail — sort of.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
The group emerged from the vibrant New York underground rock scene of the early 1980s and went on to blaze a trail of independence and innovation throughout the rock world, even after signing to major label Geffen Records in 1990.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
Uy, who joined the UMass Lowell faculty in 2011, already has helped blaze a trail for Southeast Asian educators as the first Lao refugee to be granted tenure as a professor of education in the nation, and the first to earn an education doctorate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
—BostonGlobe.com, 23 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blaze a trail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near blaze a trail
Cite this Entry
“Blaze a trail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blaze%20a%20trail. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share