give way
Idioms-
Retreat or withdraw, as in The army gave way before the enemy . [Early 1500s]
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Yield the right of way; also, relinquish ascendancy, as in The cars must give way to the parade , or The children were called inside as day gave way slowly to night . [Early 1700s]
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Collapse, fail, break down, as in The ladder gave way , or His health gave way under the strain . [Mid-1600s]
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Also, give way to . Yield to urging or demand, as in At the last minute he gave way and avoided a filibuster , or The owners gave way to their demands for a pay increase . [Mid-1700s]
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Also, give way to . Abandon oneself, lose self-control, as in She gave way to hysteria , or Don't give way to despair . [First half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their initial responses of shock and fear have given way to attempts to adapt, switching locations and changing routines.
From BBC
In that time, fears about the Federal Reserve needing to raise interest rates to quell inflation have given way to concerns about the economic damage of the historic oil-price surge.
From MarketWatch
I can still conjure it: the heated seat warming my back, the hot chocolate coating my throat, the cinnamon strudel giving way under my teeth.
From Salon
He holds me while my shoulders shake and the sun relinquishes its last beam, giving way to blackness.
From Literature
The garbage shuddered and gave way to a dingy white rat: sharp red eyes, a pink tail, back paw missing two toes.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
