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trail

trail

318 1.6
A rough path through the countryside for walking or riding
  • noun
  • /treɪl/
: sendero
  • During our camping trip, we followed a narrow trail that led to a beautiful waterfall.
  • hiking trails
  • walking trail
  • biking trails

Well, I used to ride the Jeep trails on my dirt bike,

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Examples

  • Cally, Ridgeway, show him the horse trail.

  • Today, you can still hike the trails that kids like Robert helped to clear.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I was walking on the trail without lights.

  • The other visual that I use a lot is a trail leading up a mountain.

  • We were one of the few people on that trail that had bear spray.

  • The director planned to join the trail extensions in November 2006, making one large, circular trail.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Try to stay on this trail, because there's a lot of poison ivy along here.

  • We come up the trail with Laochailand Kai leading the way.

  • We decided to explore the scenic hiking trail that winds through the mountains.

  • I often jog along the nature trail in the park to enjoy the fresh air.

Synonyms

route
vstrail
∞ 1.0

A road or path people use to travel between places

is a rough, often recreational outdoor path rather than a main road
track
vstrail
∞ 2.2

A long metal or rubber band with wheels that helps heavy vehicles move over soft ground

refers more narrowly to rough outdoor routes for walking or riding
path
vstrail
969 1.0

A way or track that people and things move along for travel

is specifically a rough outdoor route in wild hilly country
pathway
vstrail
39 2.7

A track made by people or animals that is worn down

is a rough, wild path often formed rather than heavily worn
footpath
vstrail
  • UK
9 1.9

A narrow path for people to walk on away from roads

is often rougher and in wilder terrain than this narrow way
mountain trail
vstrail
2 2.5

A path in the mountains for walking or hiking

is a general rough path, not limited to mountain terrain
bridle path
vstrail
1 5.8

A path for riding or leading horses, not for vehicles

is for general outdoor use by walkers and sometimes riders
deer trail
vstrail
1 3.9

A narrow path through woods or fields made by deer walking

is made for human walking or riding rather than mainly animal use
horse-trail
vstrail
1 3.0

A path for people who ride horses

is used by walkers and riders rather than only mounted users
cart track
vstrail
1 4.8

A rough path made by cart wheels

is narrower and more for walking or riding than cart routes
ski trail
vstrail
  • UK
1 3.0

A prepared path on a mountain for people to ski

is a general rough path not prepared for a particular sport
ridgeway
vstrail
6.1

A path along the top of a hill used for walking or travel

is any rough outdoor route not restricted to ridge tops
cartroad
vstrail
  • Archaic
9.3

A rough road in the countryside for carts

is a wild walking route that may be unsuitable for carts
trackway
vstrail
  • Specialized
8.4

A wooden path that people build across wet or marshy ground to walk on

is a natural rough outdoor route rather than an artificial walkway
bypath
vstrail
  • Archaic
7.5

A small quiet path in the countryside that few people use

is often wilder and rougher than this minor countryside way
common run
vstrail
3.6

A path that many people or vehicles use regularly

is specifically a rough outdoor path often formed in wild country
blazoned trail
vstrail
6.0

A path clearly marked with signs or paint to show the way

is similar but emphasizes natural roughness rather than clear marking
sawdust trail
vstrail
7.7

A line of sawdust that leads to a workshop

is a naturally formed rough outdoor route, not an industrial marker
cattle trail
vstrail
  • US
2.8

A path used to drive cattle to market or to other grazing land

is for walking or riding recreation rather than organized livestock movement
mucky trail
vstrail
4.2

A path that is wet and covered in mud

is simply a rough wild path and not defined only by mud
Death Trail
vstrail
9.9

A hiking path that is very dangerous and often causes injury or death for hikers

is any rough wild path and does not by itself imply danger

Idioms

to blaze a trail
  • Informal
4 5.3

To do something new first so other people can follow

Compounds

37 4.0

Papers like emails or receipts that show what someone did

A path in the mountains for walking or hiking

An old route in the United States where cowboys drove cattle from Texas to Kansas in the late 1800s

1 6.9

A path through wild land made long ago by Native people in North America

1 3.9

A narrow path through woods or fields made by deer walking

1 3.3

A light motorcycle made for riding on rough unpaved paths with strong tires and springs to absorb bumps

trail boss
  • Jargon
1 8.3

A person who leads and cares for a herd of cattle on a long drive

A series of small clues that lead step by step to a solution

1 3.0

A path for people who ride horses

An old route from Missouri to New Mexico used by settlers moving west in the 1800s

1 3.1

Riding a horse or bike along trails for fun

1 3.0

A prepared path on a mountain for people to ski

8.4

A very difficult ski slope marked with a black diamond

A path clearly marked with signs or paint to show the way

2.8

A path used to drive cattle to market or to other grazing land

A thin white cloud that a plane leaves behind in the sky

A hiking path that is very dangerous and often causes injury or death for hikers

A path that is wet and covered in mud

A long trail in Alaska from Anchorage to Nome used for the annual dog sled race

A long dog sled race across Alaska that happens every year and covers about 1,000 miles

A line of sawdust that leads to a workshop

A hiking path that is very dangerous and could kill hikers

How Rough

trail
318 1.6
path
969 1.0
track
∞ 2.2
walkway
51 2.0

Surface Forms

trail singular
trails plural

Etymology

Trail comes from the idea of a track made by moving, from the root trahere 'to pull', and is like a simple track through the land. So a trail is the rough path people or animals follow in the countryside.