What does "path" mean?
A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.
Path
/pɑːθ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.
- Grammar: path is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: course, route, track, way.
- Useful contrasts: blockage, dead end, disconnection.
- Usage evidence: There's a secret path on the left.
How to use "path"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "path" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "path" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "path" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "path" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "path" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "course" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "path", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians.
"Yet ere to to-morrow's ſun ſhall ſhew his head, / The dewy paths of meadows we will tread, / For crowns and chaplets to adorn thy head."
- 2 Pathology. abbreviation, uncountable
- 3 a course of conduct wordnet
- 4 A course taken.
"the path of a meteor, of a caravan, or of a storm"
- 5 a way especially designed for a particular use wordnet
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A metaphorical course or route; progress.
"But thou and I have shaken hands, Till growing winters lay me low; My paths are in the fields I know, And thine in undiscover’d lands."
- 7 an established line of travel or access wordnet
- 8 A method or direction of proceeding.
"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth."
- 9 a line or route along which something travels or moves wordnet
- 10 A Pagan tradition, for example witchcraft, Wicca, druidism, Heathenry.
- 11 A human-readable specification for a location within a hierarchical or tree-like structure, such as a file system or as part of a URL.
"Use the network path \\Marketing\Files to find the documents you need."
- 12 A sequence of vertices from one vertex to another using the arcs (edges). A path does not visit the same vertex more than once (unless it is a closed path, where only the first and the last vertex are the same).
- 13 A continuous map f from the unit interval I=[0,1] to a topological space X.
- 14 A slot available for allocation to a railway train over a given route in between other trains.
""Permissive" working allows more than one train to be in a block section at one time but trains must be run at low speed in order to stop on sight behind the train in front. Such working is often authorised to allow freight trains to "bunch" together to await a path through a bottleneck instead of being strung out over several block sections, as would be necessary if absolute working were in force."
Verb
- 1 To make a path in, or on (something), or for (someone). transitive
"His ghoſtly counſells onely doe aduiſe, / The meanes hovv Langlies progenie may riſe, / Pathing young Henries vnaduiſed vvaies, / A Duke of Yorke from Cambridge houſe to raiſe, […]"
- 2 To navigate through a file system directory tree (to a desired file or folder). intransitive
"Next, you need to path to the location of the executable and run it from there."
- 3 To pathfind. intransitive
Antonyms
Example
"There's a secret path on the left."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "path"?
Common synonyms include: course, route, track, way, a course, address.
How do you use "path" in a sentence?
There's a secret path on the left.
How do you pronounce "path"?
Pronounced /pɑːθ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English path, peth, from Old English pæþ (“path, track”), from Proto-West Germanic *paþ, from Proto-Germanic *paþaz (“path”). The Proto-Germanic term is possibly borrowed from Iranian, from Proto-Iranian *pántaHh, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pántaHs, from Proto-Indo-European *póntoh₁s, from the root *pent- (“to pass”), however this is disputed. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Paad, Pad (“path”), West Frisian paad (“path”), Dutch pad (“path”), German Pfad (“path”), German Low German Padd (“path”), Luxembourgish Pad (“path”). Indo-Iranian cognates could be Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬧𐬙𐬃 (paṇtā̊, “way”), Old Persian 𐎱𐎰 (p-θ /paθi/)), Sanskrit पन्था (panthā, “path”). See also English find. Doublet of panth.
Etymology 2
Shortening.