A path is a long strip of ground which people walk along to get from one place to another.
We followed the path along the clifftops.
Feet had worn a path in the rock.
He went up the garden path to knock on the door.
Synonyms: way, road, walk, track More Synonyms of path
2. countable noun [usually poss NOUN]
Your path is the space ahead of you as you move along.
A group of reporters blocked his path.
She did not notice the man until he moved into her path.
Synonyms: route, way, course, direction More Synonyms of path
3. countable noun [with poss]
The path of something is the line which it moves along in a particular direction.
He stepped without looking into the path of a reversing car. [+ of]
...people who live near airports or under the flight path of airplanes.
The storm wrecked homes in its path.
4. countable noun
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
The opposition appear to have chosen the path of cooperation rather than confrontation. [+ of/to]
He promised that within 100 days he would put the country on the path to economicrecovery.
Synonyms: course, way, road, track More Synonyms of path
5. countable noun [usually with poss]
You can say that something is in your path or blocking your path to mean that it is preventing you from doing or achieving what you want.
There are serious obstacles in the path of reform. [+ of]
6.
See people's paths cross
path in British English
(pɑːθ)
nounWord forms: pluralpaths (pɑːðz)
1.
a road or way, esp a narrow trodden track
2.
a surfaced walk, as through a garden
3.
the course or direction in which something moves
the path of a whirlwind
4.
a course of conduct
the path of virtue
5. computing
the directions for reaching a particular file or directory, as traced hierarchically through each of the parent directories usually from the root; the file or directory and all parent directories are separated from one another in the path by slashes
Derived forms
pathless (ˈpathless)
adjective
pathlessness (ˈpathlessness)
noun
Word origin
Old English pæth; related to Old High German, German Pfad
path. in British English
(pæθ)
abbreviation for
1.
pathological
2.
pathology
-path in British English
combining form in countable noun
1.
denoting a person with a specified disease or disorder
neuropath
2.
denoting a practitioner of a particular method of treatment
osteopath
Word origin
back formation from -pathy
path in American English1
(pæθ; pɑθ)
noun
1.
a track or way worn by footsteps; trail
2.
a walk or way for the use of people on foot, as in a park or garden
3.
a line of movement; course taken
the path of the meteor
4.
a course or manner of conduct, thought, or procedure
Derived forms
pathless (ˈpathless)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE pæth, akin to Ger pfad, Du pad, prob. early Gmc loanword < Iran (as in Avestan path-) < IE base *pent(h)-, to step, go > find, L pons, bridge
path in American English2
1.
pathological
2.
pathology
-path in American English
suffix
a combining form occurring in personal nouns corresponding to abstract nouns ending in -pathy, with the general sense “one practicing such a treatment” (osteopath) or “one suffering from such an ailment” (psychopath)
More idioms containing
path
lead someone up the garden path
beat a path to someone's door
cross someone's path
COBUILD Collocations
path
career path
clear path
dangerous path
different path
easy path
right path
similar path
wrong path
Examples of 'path' in a sentence
path
The path ahead this year could be bumpy.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She leads us down another narrow path twisting deeper into the woods.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Good politicians find a garden path that they can walk down.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Except it's the first step on a path no one wants to go down.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Not to mention needing a daddy with deep pockets to fund the path into one of the richest and most elitist sports on the planet.
The Sun (2017)
Our paths didn't cross again.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When our paths did cross he was at best, civil and at worst, hostile.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is to point in the direction of the path that leads to freedom.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
You beat a path to its door.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They may lead you up the garden path.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We are putting the attacking path ahead of results but we are trying to reach them together.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You need to have people walk the path.
Christianity Today (2000)
The ability to track migration paths means researchers can target conservation efforts more effectively.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Remove the cyclist from the path of cars and you remove a huge amount of the danger.
The Sun (2013)
Reach the village by one of two paths to the right.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
What is important is we put our great country on the path to freedom.
The Sun (2016)
This is not an argument for not providing cycle paths or engineering roads in favour of cyclists.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
From then on there was only one direction his career path would take.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Foreign buyers trusted his judgment and beat a path to his door.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The way ahead is the path of renunciation.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The film follows these traumatised people as their paths cross after the tragedy.
The Sun (2006)
And they leave tiny tracks on the path they have taken to get to you.
Stanley Bing THROWING THE ELEPHANT (2002)
In this world there is one unique path which no one but you may walk.
Miller, James The Passion of Michel Foucault (1993)
It flourishes beside the paths in chalk country.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Soon we are riding along a narrow path through a tunnel of trees.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But the boundaries between the paths have become blurred and it is now common for people to move between them.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There are cable cars, paths and signposts.
The Sun (2009)
Despite the difficulties, it has become a well-trodden path.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The areas feel unique, with branching paths in all directions, including vertically.
The Sun (2015)
In other languages
path
British English: path /pɑːθ/ NOUN
A path is a strip of ground that people walk along.
...the garden path.
American English: path
Arabic: سَبِيلٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: caminho
Chinese: 小路
Croatian: staza
Czech: pěšina
Danish: spor vej
Dutch: pad weggetje
European Spanish: sendero
Finnish: polku
French: chemin
German: Pfad
Greek: μονοπάτι
Italian: percorso
Japanese: 小道
Korean: 길
Norwegian: sti
Polish: ścieżka
European Portuguese: caminho
Romanian: cărare
Russian: тропа
Latin American Spanish: sendero
Swedish: stig
Thai: ทางเดิน
Turkish: patika
Ukrainian: стежка
Vietnamese: đường đi
All related terms of 'path'
patho-
disease
bike path
A bike path is a special path on which people can travel by bicycle separately from motor vehicles.
easy path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
path lab
pathology laboratory
bridle path
A bridle path is a path intended for people riding horses.
career path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
clear path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
cycle path
A cycle path is a special path on which people can travel by bicycle separately from motor vehicles .
flare path
an airstrip illuminated for use at night or in bad weather
flight path
the course through the air of an aircraft, rocket , or projectile
garden path
a long strip of ground which people walk along to get from one part of a garden to another, such as from the entrance to the garden to the door of a house
right path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
towing path
a path beside a canal or river, used by people or animals towing boats
wrong path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
approach path
the course followed by an aircraft preparing for landing
bicycle path
a path designed for bicyclists
critical path
the sequence of stages of a project requiring the longest time
path-breaking
completely different and new and affecting the way in which things are done or considered in the future
primrose path
the path of pleasure , self-indulgence, etc.
similar path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
dangerous path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
different path
A path that you take is a particular course of action or way of achieving something.
Eightfold Path
the eight pursuits of one seeking enlightenment , comprising right understanding , motives , speech, action, means of livelihood , effort, intellectual activity, and contemplation
tread a path
If you tread a particular path , you take a particular course of action or do something in a particular way.
mean free path
the average distance travelled by a particle , atom , etc, between collisions
bypath
a little-used path or track , esp in the country
the primrose path
a pleasurable way of life
critical path method
a technique for planning complex projects by analysing alternative systems with reference to the critical path , which is the sequence of stages requiring the longest time
cross someone's path
to meet someone by chance
critical path analysis
a technique for planning complex projects by analysing alternative systems with reference to the critical path , which is the sequence of stages requiring the longest time
smooth the path/way
If you smooth the path or smooth the way towards something, you make it easier or more likely to happen .
pathbreaking
pioneering ; groundbreaking; innovative
lead down the garden path
to mislead or deceive
people's paths cross cross sb's path
If you cross someone's path or if your paths cross , you meet them by chance .
beat a path to someone's door
to be eager to talk to someone or to do business with them
the straight and narrow (path)
a morally strict code of behavior
lead a person up the garden path
to mislead or deceive a person
lead someone up the garden path
to deceive someone by making them believe something which is not true
off the beaten track
A place that is off the beaten track is in an area where not many people live or go .
tread a fine/delicate/narrow line/path
If someone is treading a fine line or path , they are acting carefully because they have to avoid making a serious mistake , especially in a situation where they have to deal with two opposing demands .
approach
When you approach something, you get closer to it.