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Glite Dictionary
to go one's own way

to go one's own way

5 6.2
Choose your own path in life
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : seguir su propio camino
  • She decided to go her own way and pursue her dreams, even when others disapproved.
  • let him go his own way
  • always go his own way
  • want to go his own way

Examples

Synonyms

to go it alone
vsto go one's own way
  • Informal
26 5.3

To do something without help from other people

applies to a lasting personal path rather than a single unsupported act
to go rogue
vsto go one's own way
19 7.5

To act alone and ignore rules or orders

means acting independently without implying rule breaking or surprise
to do one's own thing
vsto go one's own way
  • Jargon
15 4.2

Act on your own without following what other people want

focuses on a long term life path that differs from others' expectations
to be one's own man
vsto go one's own way
7 6.5

To make your own decisions without other people telling you what to do

emphasizes choosing a personal life course even when it opposes expectations
to paddle one's own canoe
vsto go one's own way
  • Archaic
2 7.5

To be independent and take care of yourself without help

means independent life choices rather than only practical self support

Antonyms

to conform
96 3.2

Think and act like other people or follow rules

to follow the crowd
  • Informal
3 3.2

To do what most people do without using your own ideas

How Independent

to go it alone
  • Informal
26 5.3
to go one's own way
5 6.2
to go along
144 3.5

Surface Forms

go one's own way infinitive
went one's own way past
gone one's own way past participle
going one's own way present participle
goes one's own way third person singular

Morphology

go + one + own + way

The meaning is directly built from the parts: 'go' (move/pursue) + 'one's own' (personal/individual) + 'way' (path/manner), so the idea of pursuing a personal course is readily inferable. This metaphorical mapping (choosing your own path) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will very likely understand the expression.

Etymology

Go one's own way gives a clear picture: someone leaves the group's path and walks alone on their own road, with go meaning move, own meaning personal, and way meaning path. So it means 'to act independently'.