path

noun

ˈpath How to pronounce path (audio)
Definition of pathnext
1
as in route
the direction along which something or someone moves try to stay out of the path of the golf balls while playing I tripped over a rock directly in my path

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in trail
a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps a path worn through the library lawn by too many people walking over it

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in road
an established course for traveling from one place to another the path along which ancient traders traveled from Europe to China was known as the Silk Road

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of path For the first time, non-English-language films in this year’s Platform section now have a direct path to Best International Feature Film Oscar contention, making Toronto only one of six international film festivals to qualify. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 July 2026 Buffett's philosophy demands understandable businesses with predictable cash flows, a stark contrast to drug development's long, uncertain path and complex variables. — Steve Brozak, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 Hiddleston also studied classics at Cambridge University and had visited the Pompeii archaeological site as a teenager, which the Marvel star attributes to indirectly influencing his career path into acting. — ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026 External observers may see a natural path for Kubiak similar to that of his brother, now-Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak, who worked under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan as a passing game coordinator in 2023. — Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for path
Recent Examples of Synonyms for path
  1. route
  2. trail
  3. road
  4. way
  5. pathway
  6. approach
  7. trajectory
  8. footpath
Noun
  • Charlotteans illegally dump about 10 tons of trash every single day — much of it large, bulky items — and the city has to divert garbage crews from normal routes to collect it.
    — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026
  • McCabe said that one of the goals is to minimize impacts on homeowners and businesses that are along the route.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of route
Noun
  • Campaigns generally receive such funds in cash, and disburse them the same way, leaving no financial trail.
    — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • The trail, acting as a dam, created a huge basin that filled with rainwater.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of trail
Noun
  • What’s different this time is getting to the Diner, as both Santa Monica Blvd (which the Diner faces) and Sunset Blvd are seeing extended road work – some of it due to a water main that burst on July 16.
    — Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Two Boston city councilors are pushing for a change in city law that would require Mayor Michelle Wu to report street projects annually as Wu faces criticism for stalling road work before a city employee was killed by a truck.
    — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of road
Noun
  • As all of this finale drama is happening around him, Danny gets increasingly drunker, foreshadowing absolutely nothing good coming our way.
    — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • My favorite way to spend an afternoon, though, was borrowing one of the hotel's bicycles and pedaling around South of Fifth, where quiet residential streets quickly give way to cafés, the marina, and the fun buzz of Ocean Drive.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
Definition of way
Noun
  • DeepMind’s AlphaFold, for example, has used to AI to make available new structures for more than 200 million proteins, opening new pathways for research into disease and medicine.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing are the two main pathways to create the core material necessary to build nuclear weapons.
    — Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of pathway
Noun
  • After witnessing the same families repeatedly return to his courtroom across generations, Judge Langer sought a new preventive approach that would support young parents in foster care.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • At another MetroLoft project, 25 Water Street, Berman and a co-developer had taken a radical approach to breaking up the interior space of a hulking building that once housed offices belonging to JPMorgan Chase.
    — Andrew Rice, Curbed, 23 July 2026
Definition of approach
Noun
  • Those pledges defined their formative years, shaping expectations about their country’s trajectory and their place within it.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
  • In addition, it is intended to act as a high-performance target vehicle capable of flying complex trajectories for evaluating civilian and military detection, tracking and missile defense systems.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 27 July 2026
Definition of trajectory
Noun
  • The footpath takes walkers past gorgeous Nantucket homes and offers exceptional views of the ocean.
    — Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
  • In a first-floor unit that overlooks a gravel footpath and a small wetland area, 22-year-old Margaret Klamaitha kneels on the floor, cutting and fitting bathroom tiles.
    — Christopher Clark, NPR, 5 July 2026
Definition of footpath

Phrases Containing path

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pates
path
pathbreaking
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Cite this Entry

“Path.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/path. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on path

Nglish: Translation of path for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about path

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