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.
It does suggest that one-size-fits-all prescribing after heart attack may need to give way to more personalized decisions, especially for patients with preserved heart function.
From Science Daily • May 25, 2026
Roos, the former options market maker, believes the latest leg higher for stocks could ultimately give way to a painful pullback as investors take profits and positioning shifts.
From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026
Early sections, with their displays of his strength and swagger, give way to a fractured interiority.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Initial public euphoria over Pakistan's image being burnished on the global stage has begun to give way to fraying patience after weeks of stop-start restrictions around Islamabad.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
I eased into the bath, half expecting the bottom to give way beneath my feet, plummeting into an endless void.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
