1.
traveling companion; fellow traveler
A person who accompanies someone on a journey or travels along the same road.
旅の道連れができた。
I found a traveling companion for the trip.
一人よりも道連れがいると心強い。
Having a companion is more reassuring than being alone.
見知らぬ人と道連れになり、楽しい旅になった。
I ended up traveling with a stranger, and it turned into an enjoyable trip.
2.
taking someone down with one; dragging others into one's fate
Forcing someone to share in one's own misfortune or downfall. Often used in the expression 道連れにする.
敵を道連れにする。
To take the enemy down with one.
自分だけでなく仲間まで道連れにしてしまった。
I ended up dragging not only myself but my companions down with me.
会社が倒産し、関連企業も道連れになった。
When the company went bankrupt, its affiliated companies were dragged down with it.
The proverb 旅は道連れ世は情け ("a journey needs a companion, life needs compassion") is well known and reflects the original positive sense of the word.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 道連れにする (to take someone down with one)
- 道連れになる (to be dragged into someone's fate)
- 旅の道連れ (traveling companion)
USAGE NOTE:
Sense 2 is more commonly encountered in modern Japanese. The pattern ～を道連れにする means to force someone to share one's fate, typically a negative outcome. This usage appears frequently in news and dramatic contexts.