n.
path, route
1) to blaze, clear, pave, prepare; smoothe the ~ for (to pave the ~ for reform)
2) to take the (easy) ~ (out of a difficult situation)
3) to lead; point, show the ~
4) to edge; elbow; fight; force; hack; jostle; make; muscle; push; shove; squeeze; thread; tunnel; wedge; work one's ~ through; to (to elbow one's ~ through a crowd; the battalion fought its ~ through enemy lines to the coast; he pushed his ~ through the mob; to shove one's ~ through the revelers; we made our ~ to the door; to tunnel one's ~ to freedom)
5) to twist; wend, wind one's ~ (the river winds its ~ to the sea)
6) to find one's ~
7) to worm one's ~ (into smb.'s confidence)
8) to know the ~ to (do you know the ~ to the station?)
9) to lose one's ~
10) ( BE ) a permanent ~ ('a railroad track')
11) the ~ from; to (he kept chattering all the ~ from our house to the airport)
12) the ~ into, to (the ~ into the park; can you show me the ~ to the station?)
13) the ~ out of (the ~ out of the city; show me the ~ out of this building; there is no easy ~ out of this mess)
14) on the ~ (a letter is on the ~; she is on her ~ to the airport)
15) ( misc. ) to work one's ~ through college; out of harm's ~; to make one's ~ in life; to see one's ~ clear to do smt.; they went their separate ~s; to come to a parting of the ~s; by ~ of ('via'); to go the ~ of all flesh ('to be mortal'); to know one's ~ around ('to be familiar with procedures')
room for movement
16) to make ~ for
17) in the ~ (to be/stand in the ~; to get in smb.'s ~)
18) out of the ~ (to get out of the ~)
progress
19) under ~ (an investigation is under ~)
distance
20) to come; go a long ~
direction
21) this ~; that ~; the other ~ (she went that ~; please step this ~; they went the other ~)
aspect, respect
22) in a certain ~ (in every ~; in no ~; in more ~s than one)
manner, method
23) to find a ~ (they found a ~ to spend less money on electricity)
24) the proper, right; wrong ~
25) charming, winsome ~s
26) that; this ~ (do it this ~)
27) the ~ to + inf. (show me the ~ to work this washing machine; that's the ~ to do it; there is no easy ~ to learn a new language)
28) in a certain ~ (in her own ~; in such a ~ that...; in a small ~)
29) ( misc. ) to my ~ of thinking; to mend one's ~s; to fall into evil ~s
purpose
30) by ~ of (by ~ of apology; by ~ of example; by ~ of illustration)
effective manner
31) to have a ~ with (she has a ~ with children)
goal
32) to get, have one's ~ (she al~s gets her ~)
misc.
33) to make one's ~ in the world; to get under ~ ('to start out'); in a ~ ('to some degree'); to go out of one's ~ ('to make a special effort'); to give ~ ('to collapse'); to pay one's own ~ ('to pay for oneself'); to be in the family ~ ('to be pregnant'); by the ~ ('incidentally'); on the ~ out ('becoming obsolescent'); there are no two ~s about it ('it is definitely true'); out our ~ ('where we live'); we are in a fair ~ to get our new library ('it appears as if we will get our new library'); this compromise goes a long ~ towards resolving our differences; the ~ to smb.'s heart
USAGE NOTE: Constructions such as to hack one's ~ through the jungle cannot be passivized. Compare they hacked a path through the jungle -- a path was hacked ( by them ) through the jungle .