pathway
pathway — noun
1. a narrow route made for people to walk on, especially outdoors.
a narrow route made for people to walk on, especially outdoors.
A stone pathway leads from the gate to the red front door.
pathway to + place
Visitors stayed on the wet pathway after the grass was cut.
stay on the pathway
The pathway curves past a pond and ends by the picnic tables.
Mina swept leaves off the garden pathway before her parents arrived.
文法句型
a pathway through a garden
a pathway to a place
stay on the pathway
用法筆記
Often used with physical details such as stone, garden, forest, or school grounds. Distinguish from noun/2, which is figurative and describes progress toward a result.
常見錯誤
2. an ordered set of steps that gives someone a way to reach a goal.
an ordered set of steps that gives someone a way to reach a goal.
The school offers a pathway into nursing for adult learners.
pathway into + field
The factory training course gave Ravi a pathway to a full-time job.
pathway to + goal
The city report sets out a pathway for cutting plastic waste.
For many young players, local clubs are a pathway to national teams.
文法句型
a pathway to something
a pathway into something
a pathway for doing something
用法筆記
Common after 'to', 'into', and 'for'. Distinguish from noun/1, which names a real walking track, and from noun/3, which is a formal plan inside healthcare.
常見錯誤
3. an agreed course of medical care that shows what should happen at each stage of
an agreed course of medical care that shows what should happen at each stage of treatment.
The clinic uses one pathway for children with severe asthma.
pathway for + patient group
After the scan, doctors changed Maya's treatment pathway immediately.
treatment pathway
After the blood test, each patient enters a different care pathway.
Nurses explained the care pathway to Ben's family at noon.
- protocol
often stricter and more rule-based
- care plan
a broader term for planned medical support
- treatment plan
focuses on planned treatment rather than the full patient route
文法句型
a treatment pathway
a care pathway for someone
change a pathway
用法筆記
Common with words such as 'care', 'treatment', and 'clinical'. The subject is often a hospital, clinic, or care team. Distinguish from noun/2 because this sense names an organized plan inside healthcare.
常見錯誤
4. a route in the body, or from one body to another, that carries signals, disease,
a route in the body, or from one body to another, that carries signals, disease, or similar effects.
Mosquito bites are one pathway for the virus to reach people.
pathway for + disease spread
Pain signals travel along a pathway from the hand to the brain.
travel along a pathway
Researchers blocked a pathway that helps cancer cells spread to the lungs.
A cut in the skin can open a pathway for germs.
文法句型
a pathway for something
travel along a pathway
block a pathway
用法筆記
Often used with verbs such as 'open', 'block', and 'travel along'. Distinguish from noun/5: noun/4 is the route something moves on, while noun/5 is the whole chain of chemical steps.
5. a linked chain of chemical changes in a living thing, where one step leads to th
a linked chain of chemical changes in a living thing, where one step leads to the next.
Inside muscle cells, this pathway turns sugar into energy very quickly.
pathway turns A into B
In mice, the drug slows a pathway that helps the tumor grow.
drug slows a pathway
Students drew the sugar-to-energy pathway on the board during biology class.
A blocked pathway can stop red color from forming in white flowers.
文法句型
a biochemical pathway
a metabolic pathway
a pathway that does something
用法筆記
Common in biology writing with words such as 'biochemical', 'signaling', and 'metabolic'. Distinguish from noun/4: noun/5 is a sequence of reactions, not a route carrying signals or infection.