Meaning & use
on the beaten path
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
in a place or along a route that many people visit or use, so it is familiar and not unusual
Grammar: Used after 'be' or a verb of movement: The café is on the beaten path.
Patterns
- be on the beaten path
- stay on the beaten path
- a place on the beaten path
The hotel is right on the beaten path, so there are always tourists outside.
If you stay on the beaten path, you will see the famous sights but miss the quiet villages.
This beach is on the beaten path now, unlike twenty years ago.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
following the usual, accepted way of doing something rather than trying something new
Grammar: Often used with 'stay' to mean avoiding risk or change.
Patterns
- stay on the beaten path
- keep someone on the beaten path
Her career has stayed on the beaten path: school, university, then a bank job.
The company chose to stay on the beaten path instead of investing in new technology.
Common combinations
- stay on the beaten path
- We stayed on the beaten path and visited only the main museums.
- right on the beaten path
- The market is right on the beaten path, so it gets very crowded.
- off the beaten path
- They prefer holidays off the beaten path, far from other tourists.
- a little off the beaten path
- The restaurant is a little off the beaten path but worth finding.
Synonyms and how they differ
- well-trodden
- This adjective describes a route or subject that many people have already used or discussed; it is more formal and usually comes before a noun.
- mainstream
- This describes ideas or places accepted by most people; it focuses on popularity, not on physical routes.
Opposites
Word family
- beaten path noun
- A route that many people walk along, often used in the phrase 'off the beaten path'.
- beaten track noun
- A British variant of 'beaten path' in the same idiom.
Commonly confused: on the beaten path or off the beaten path?
on the beaten path vs off the beaten path
This is the opposite: it means away from the places most people go, in a quiet or unusual place.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'on the beaten path' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'On the beaten path' means a place that many people visit, so long lines are expected. The other options describe quiet or uncrowded places, which fit 'off the beaten path', not 'on' it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “on the beaten path”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.