also: みちずれ
noun
traveling companion; fellow traveler
A person who accompanies someone on a journey, often implying a shared experience or fate. Can be used literally or figuratively.
旅の道連れと温泉に立ち寄った。
I stopped by a hot spring with my traveling companion.
人生の道連れとして、彼女
As a companion through life, she is irreplaceable.
noun
taking someone along unwillingly; forcing to participate
Used in the expression 道連れにする, meaning to drag someone into a situation, especially an undesirable one like death or trouble. Often carries a negative, coercive nuance.
See also: 道連れにする
彼は自殺するときに、家族を道連れにしようとした。
When he committed suicide, he tried to take his family with him.
会社の倒産で、取引先まで道連れにしてしまった。
The company's bankruptcy dragged even its business partners down with it.
Irregular kana usage; occasionally encountered but non-standard.
Compound of 道 (road, journey) and 連れ (companion, from 連れる 'to take along'). The coercive sense derives from the idea of forcing someone to accompany one on a path, especially to death.