{
    "term": "trail",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a long line or series of marks that is left by somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a trail of blood"
                },
                {
                    "text": "tourists who **leave a trail** of litter everywhere they go"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The hurricane left a trail of destruction behind it."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["scent", "blood", "smoke"],
                "verb + trail": ["lay", "leave", "make"],
                "trail + verb": ["go cold"],
                "preposition": ["on somebody’s trail"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a trail of blood",
                    "a trail of devastation",
                    "a trail of smoke"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a track, sign or smell that is left behind and that can be followed, especially in hunting",
            "sensetop": "on the trail of somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The hounds were following the fox's trail."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The police are still on the trail of the escaped prisoner.",
                    "contextForm": "on the trail of somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Fortunately the **trail was still warm** *(= clear and easy to follow)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The **trail had gone cold**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Ants follow a scent trail laid down previously."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The dog had picked up the trail of a rabbit."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The fox had crossed a stream, and the hounds lost the trail."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Detectives had found several new clues and were back on the murderer's trail."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The couple laid a false trail to escape the press photographers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They had to find the kidnappers before the trail went cold."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["scent", "blood", "smoke"],
                "verb + trail": ["lay", "leave", "make"],
                "trail + verb": ["go cold"],
                "preposition": ["on somebody’s trail"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a trail of blood",
                    "a trail of devastation",
                    "a trail of smoke"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a path through the countryside",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a trail through the forest"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We set off to walk the trail that winds along the Colorado River."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The trail was covered with deep snow."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Norfolk Coast path is part of a National Trail."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Appalachian Trail runs from Maine to Georgia."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A woodland trail leads off to the right."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Hobbies"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["forest", "mountain", "nature"],
                "verb + trail": ["follow", "hit", "take"],
                "trail + verb": ["go", "lead", "run"],
                "preposition": ["along a/​the trail"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a route that is followed for a particular purpose",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **tourist trail** *(= of famous buildings)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "politicians on the **campaign trail** *(= travelling around to attract support)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "In 1967 she hit the hippy trail to India."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We did the Inca trail."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["forest", "mountain", "nature"],
                "verb + trail": ["follow", "hit", "take"],
                "trail + verb": ["go", "lead", "run"],
                "preposition": ["along a/​the trail"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be the first to do or to discover something that others follow",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The department is blazing a trail in the field of laser surgery."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to start a journey",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The following spring I hit the road."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "close to catching or finding the person or thing that you have been running after or searching for",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/treɪl/",
                "audio": "tr/trail/trail__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/treɪl/",
                "audio": "tr/trail/trail__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (as a verb): from Old French traillier ‘to tow’, or Middle Low German treilen ‘haul a boat’, based on Latin tragula ‘dragnet’, from trahere ‘to pull’. Compare with trawl. The noun originally denoted the train of a robe, later generalized to denote something trailing."
}