blaze a trail

/blˈeɪz ɐ tɹˈeɪl/

[phrase]

to blaze a trail

[PHRASE]

to be the first individual who discovers something or does something new and authentic

to [blaze] a trail definition and meaning

What is the origin of the idiom "blaze a trail" and when to use it?

The origin of the idiom "blaze a trail" comes from the practice of pioneers and explorers marking a path through the wilderness by making a series of blazes, or marks, on trees along the way. This made it easier for others to follow the same path. Today, the idiom "blaze a trail" is used more metaphorically to describe any situation where someone is the first to do something or to create a new path or method that others can follow.

Examples

1. Mary is blazing a trail as the first woman to lead the company's engineering team.

2. The Wright brothers blazed a trail in aviation by building the first successful airplane.

3. Only one of them has ever won two Nobel prizes He marched into an unknown branch of science which few even knew existed at the time and blazed a trail For those who would come after him.

4. She was an especially powerful role model for young women and girls, who admired her integrity, her tenacity and her intellect, and for whom she blazed a trail as one-half of the first all-female anchor team on network news.

Nearby words