give way Definition

give
verb gave, given, giving

1. To transfer ownership of something; to transfer possession of something temporarily.

Example: gave him my watch
Example: Give me your bags
2. To provide or administer.

Example: give advice
Example: give medicine
Thesaurus: bestow, confer, impart, dispense.
3. To produce.

Example: Cows give milk
4. To perform (an action, service, etc).

Example: give a smile
Example: She gave a lecture on beetles
5. To pay.

Example: gave £20 for it
Thesaurus: grant, bequeath, donate, award, contribute.
intr
6. To make a donation.

Example: Please give generously
7. To sacrifice it.

Example: give one's life
Example: gave up his day off to finish the job on time
Form: give something up (also)
8. To be the cause or source of something.

Example: gives me pain
intr
9. To yield or break.

Example: give under pressure
10. To organize something at one's own expense.

Example: give a party
11. To have something as a result.

Example: four into twenty gives five
12. To reward or punish with something.

Example: was given 20 years
13. colloq
To agree to or admit something; to concede.
Example: I'll give you that
Thesaurus: concede, grant, allow.
14. To offer a toast to someone or something.
15. sport.
To declare someone to be a specified thing.
Example: He was given offside

noun

1. Capacity to yield; flexibility.

Example: a board with plenty of give

Idiom: give and take

To make mutual concessions.

Idiom: give as good as one gets

colloq
To respond to an attack with equal energy, force and effect.

Idiom: give me

colloq
I prefer.
Example: Give me jazz any day

Idiom: give or take something

colloq
Allowing for a (specified) margin of error.
Example: We have all the money, give or take a pound

Idiom: give someone to believe that ...

To make someone think that or to give the impression that ...

Idiom: give someone up for dead (give someone up for lost)

To assume that they are dead or lost, etc, after abandoning hope.

Idiom: give up the ghost

colloq
To die.

Idiom: give way

To allow priority.

To collapse under pressure.
Thesaurus: collapse, fall, crumble, crumple, break, cave in, sag, crack; Antonym: withstand.

Idiom: give way to something

To allow oneself to be affected by it.
Example: give way to tears

Idiom: what gives?

What is happening, the matter, etc? For many other idioms containing give, see under the next significant word in the idiom.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon gefan.

Phrasal Verb: give someone away

To betray them.To present (the bride) to the bridegroom at a wedding ceremony.

Phrasal Verb: give something away

To hand it over as a gift.To sell it at an incredibly low price.To allow (a piece of information) to become known, usually by accident.

Phrasal Verb: give in to someone or something

To yield to them; to admit defeat.

Phrasal Verb: give something off

To produce or emit (eg a smell).

Phrasal Verb: give on to or into something

Said of a passage, etc: to lead or be an opening to it.
Example: a terrace giving on to the lawn

Phrasal Verb: give out

To break down or come to an end.
Example: Their resistance gave out

Phrasal Verb: give something out

To announce or distribute it.To emit (a sound, smell, etc).

Phrasal Verb: give over! or give over doing something

Usually as a command: to stop (doing it).
Example: Give over shouting!
Example: Give over! I've had enough of your moaning

Phrasal Verb: give something over

To transfer it.To set it aside or devote it to some purpose.
Example: The morning was given over to discussing the budgets

Phrasal Verb: give up

To admit defeat.

Phrasal Verb: give oneself up

To surrender.

Phrasal Verb: give oneself up to something

To devote oneself to (a cause, etc).

Phrasal Verb: give someone or something up

To surrender or hand over (a wanted person, a weapon, etc).

Phrasal Verb: give something up

To renounce or quit (a habit, etc).
Example: give up smoking
To resign from or leave (a job, etc).

Phrasal Verb: give up doing something

To stop making the effort to achieve it.
Example: gave up trying to talk sense to them

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way
noun ways

1a. A route, entrance or exit, etc that provides passage or access somewhere;

Thesaurus: road, trail, walk, highway (US), byway.
1b. The passage or access provided.
2. The route, road or direction taken for a particular journey.
3. A track or road.
4. Used in street names.

Form: Way
5. A direction of motion.

Example: a one-way street
Example: a two-way radio
6. An established position.

Example: the wrong way up
Example: the other way round
7. A distance in space or time.

Example: a little way ahead
8. One's district.

Example: if you're round our way
9. The route or path ahead; room to move or progress.
10. A means or method of doing something.

Thesaurus: means, method, mode, plan, technique, design, system, procedure, process, contrivance, step, idea, policy.
11. A distinctive manner or style.
12. Customs or rituals.

Form: ways
13. A characteristic piece of behaviour.
14. A habit or routine.
15. A typical pattern or course.

Example: It's always the way
16. A mental approach.

Example: different ways of looking at it
17. A respect.

Example: correct in some ways
18. An alternative course, possibility or choice, etc.
19. A state or condition.
20. Scale.
21. Progress; forward motion.

Example: made their way through the crowds
22. naut.
Headway; progress or motion through the water.
Example: made little way that day
23. engineering.
The machined surfaces of the top of a lathe bed on which the carriage slides.
Form: ways
24. engineering.
The framework of timbers on which a ship slides when being launched.

adverb

1. colloq
Far; a long way.
Example: met way back in the 60s

Idiom: across the way (over the way)

On or to the other side of something, eg a street.
Example: I just live across the way

Idiom: be on (get on one's way)

To make a start on a journey.

Idiom: by the way

Incidentally; let me mention while I remember.

Idiom: by way of ...

As a form or means of ....
Example: He grinned by way of apology

Idiom: by way of somewhere

By the route that passes through it.

Idiom: come someone's way

Said of an opportunity, etc: to become available to them, especially unexpectedly.

Idiom: divide something three ways (divide something four etc ways)

To divide it into three or four, etc parts.

Idiom: get one's own way (have one's own way)

To do, get or have what one wants, often as opposed to what others want.

Idiom: give way

To collapse or subside.

To fail or break down under pressure, etc.

To yield to persuasion or pressure.

Idiom: go all the way with someone (go the whole way with someone)

slang
To have sexual intercourse with them.

Idiom: go one's own way

To do or behave as one likes, especially in a manner different from others.

Idiom: go out of one's way

To make special efforts; to do more than is needed.

Idiom: go someone's way

Said eg of circumstances: to favour them.

Idiom: have a way with someone or something

To be good at dealing with them.

Idiom: have a way with one

colloq
To have an attractive manner.

Idiom: have it both ways

To benefit from two actions, situations or arguments, etc, each of which excludes the possibility or validity, etc of the others.

Idiom: have it one's way (have everything one's way, have everything one's own way)

To get one's way in something or everything, especially with disregard for the advice or opinions of others.

Idiom: in a bad way

colloq
In a poor or serious condition; unhealthy.

Idiom: in a big way

colloq
With enthusiasm; on a large or grandiose scale.

Idiom: in a way

From a certain viewpoint; to some extent.

Idiom: in its etc own way

As far as it etc goes; within limits.

Idiom: in no way

Not at all.

Idiom: in the way of something

In the nature of it.
Example: not much in the way of cash

Idiom: lead the way (show the way)

To act as a guide or inspiration to others.

Idiom: learn one's way around

To accustom oneself to one's new environment or duties, etc.

Idiom: look the other way

To ignore or pretend not to notice something.

Idiom: lose the way (lose one's way)

To leave one's intended or known route by mistake.

Idiom: make one's way

To go purposefully.

To progress or prosper.
Example: making her way in life

Idiom: make way for someone or something

To stand aside, or make room, for them or it.

To be replaced by them or it.

Idiom: no two ways about it

That's certain; no doubt about it.

Idiom: no way

slang
Absolutely not.

Idiom: on the way out

Becoming unfashionable.

Idiom: on the way to ...

Progressing towards ....
Example: well on the way to becoming a millionaire

Idiom: one way and another

Considering certain aspects or features, etc of something.
Example: It's been a good year, one way and another

Idiom: out of the way

Situated so as not to hinder or obstruct anyone.

Remote; in the middle of nowhere.

Idiom: pay one's way

To pay one's own debts and living expenses.

Idiom: put someone out of the way

To kill them.

Idiom: put someone in the way of something

To contrive to make it available to them.

Idiom: see one's way to doing something (see one's way clear to doing something)

To be able and willing to do it.

Idiom: that's the way!

A formula of encouragement or approval.

Idiom: the way (this way, that way)

The manner or tendency of a person's feelings or wishes, etc.
Example: Do you really want it this way?
Example: I didn't know you felt that way

Idiom: under way

In motion; progressing.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon weg.