give way

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Retreat or withdraw, as in The army gave way before the enemy. [Early 1500s]

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]

Collapse, fail, break down, as in The ladder gave way, or His health gave way under the strain. [Mid-1600s]

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]

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]

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby give way

give to understand, give-up, give up the ghost, give vent to, give voice to, give way, give way to, give what for, givey, Giza, gizmo

How to use give way in a sentence

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Therefore, the majority view in Oklahoma must give way to individual constitutional rights.
The Heroic Lesbian Couple of Oklahoma Who Fought for Equal Marriage—and Won|Randy R. Potts|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With 2014 as a congressional election year, the acrid scrums of 2013 will give way to the combat of the campaign.
Want Hope in 2014? Forget Politics, Focus on Energy and Medicine|Lloyd Green|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Can the market and the state co-exist or will the former have to give way to the politically-backed power of the second?
The Person of 2013 Is… Xi Jinping|Jonathan Fenby|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

That wave started to give way in the early 1960s, in large part due to the publication of The Genesis Flood.
When Creationists Collide with Stephen Colbert|Michael Schulson|December 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As each company front formed the knees of the rank and file seemed to give way.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Suppose for one instant that the bamboo should give way under the boy's feet or failed to hold in the tree-top!
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
It is plain that on the very first instant of there being a pressure upon the "fixed duty," it must give way, and for ever.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Religion, loyalty, everything would give way if only you cared.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
As this is the highest form of the agreement, all verbal stipulations to the contrary must give way.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

give way

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