trailblazers

noun

plural of trailblazer
1
as in pioneers
a person or group that originates new concepts, styles, and techniques The Beatles are recognized as some of the greatest trailblazers of rock music.

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2
as in colonists
a person who settles in a new region The Mayflower brought with it a group of European trailblazers, determined to make a home of that land dubbed "New England."

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trailblazers And Knight joins a team headed by one of women’s hockey’s trailblazers in GM Manon Rheaume. — John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026 For decades, late-night TV has introduced trailblazers trying to break, or reinvent, the staid routine of stand-up monologues and celebrity chitchat. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 As part of the pregame ceremonies, the team will unveil a permanent display to honor former players and LGBTQ trailblazers Billy Bean and Glenn Burke. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 12 May 2026 Over the years, some players have chosen to make this rapport vaguely, hilariously antagonistic, and while players like James Acaster may have been the trailblazers in this respect, Sophie Duker elevated it to an art form. — Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 12 June 2026 The Carters became trailblazers for the nascent genre in the late 1920s; James is known for writing hits for Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride and many others. — Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2026 Strikeforce held its first MMA event in 2006, a night that was echoed in the formula used by MVP this month, leaning on former UFC legends and trailblazers Ken Shamrock and Cesar Gracie. — Mark Puleo, New York Times, 21 May 2026 Continuing the support of Franco-American collaborations were high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus in Dallas, which, having already embraced the couture, continued to showcase trailblazers in French fashion like Cristóbal Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy, amongst others. — Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 26 May 2026 The series features intimate conversations with trailblazers like YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, USB inventor Ajay Bhatt, NBA star Jeremy Lin, television chef Martin Yan and many others, highlighting the impact of AAPIs in various sectors. — Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailblazers
  1. pioneers
  2. colonists
  3. explorers
  4. settlers
Noun
  • White settlers and frontier pioneers built vast, fenceless cattle stations, battling harsh environments and disease, embracing a hard-living culture that exists to this day.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • The group helped define hip-hop’s golden age, became the first rap act inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and remains one of the genre’s most influential pioneers.
    — Ernie Suggs, AJC.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of pioneers
Noun
  • These were moments of extraordinary dissent against the British government by American colonists.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The American colonists were friends with affliction and shared their suffering socially, in writing and conversation.
    — Katherine Ott, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of colonists
Noun
  • Livestock and many Old World crops had already been introduced to North America by European explorers and settlers during the centuries before the nation's founding.
    — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • The nation has put people on the moon, helped build and operate a long-running space station in low Earth orbit (LEO) and sent fleets of robotic explorers to many corners of the solar system — and even beyond it, into interstellar space.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of explorers
Noun
  • Some became stockmen, learning to ride settlers’ horses and using their deep knowledge of the land to muster cattle on horseback across vast landscapes.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • The history in Kaskaskia is as rich as the soil that attracted settlers in the first place and made it, for a time, Illinois’ most important place.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of settlers

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Cite this Entry

“Trailblazers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailblazers. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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