trail vs way

trail

noun
  • The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the sky. 

  • A trailer broadcast on television for a forthcoming film or programme. 

  • A walk in which all the edges are distinct. 

  • A route for travel over land, especially a narrow, unpaved pathway for use by hikers, horseback riders, etc. 

  • A route or circuit generally. 

  • The horizontal distance from where the wheel touches the ground to where the steering axis intersects the ground. 

verb
  • To show a trailer of (a film, TV show etc.); to release or publish a preview of (a report etc.) in advance of the full publication. 

  • To run or climb like certain plants. 

  • To be losing, to be behind in a competition. 

  • To leave (a trail of). 

  • To carry (a firearm) with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle. 

  • To transport (livestock) by herding it along a trail. 

  • To hang or drag loosely behind; to move with a slow sweeping motion. 

  • To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something). 

  • To drag oneself lazily or reluctantly along. 

  • To travel by following or creating trails. 

  • To drag (something) behind on the ground. 

  • To create a trail in. 

way

noun
  • A road, a direction, a (physical or conceptual) path from one place to another. 

  • A roughly-defined geographical area. 

  • The letter for the w sound in Pitman shorthand. 

  • A degree, an amount, a sense. 

  • A tradition within the modern pagan faith of Heathenry, dedication to a specific deity or craft, Way of wyrd, Way of runes, Way of Thor etc. 

  • A state or condition 

  • A method or manner of doing something; a mannerism. 

  • Acknowledges that a task has been done well, chiefly in expressions of sarcastic congratulation. 

  • Possibility (usually in the phrases 'any way' and 'no way'). 

  • Determined course; resolved mode of action or conduct. 

  • The longitudinal guiding surfaces on the bed of a planer, lathe, etc. along which a table or carriage moves. 

  • A means to enter or leave a place. 

  • Speed, progress, momentum. 

  • The timbers of shipyard stocks that slope into the water and along which a ship or large boat is launched. 

adv
  • Much. 

  • Far. 

  • Very. 

intj
  • yes; it is true; it is possible 

How often have the words trail and way occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )