frayer

to forge a path

verb freh-YEH Rare

Also means

to spawn (fish)

Usage Note

Frayer has two main senses: in everyday use, se frayer un chemin means to carve out or force a path through a crowd or obstacle; in biology, it refers to fish spawning. The reflexive se frayer is far more common than the bare form for the path sense.

Examples

"Il se fraye un chemin dans la foule."

Natural Translation

He forces his way through the crowd.

Literal Translation

He forges himself a path in the crowd.

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