make way
Idioms-
Allow room for passage, move aside, as in Please make way for the wheelchair . This expression was first recorded about 1200.
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Also, make way for . Leave room for a successor or substitute, as in It's time he retired and made way for some younger professor . [Mid-1700s]
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Progress, advance, as in Is this enterprise making way? [Late 1500s] For a synonym, see make headway .
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.
After 70 years as the epicenter of Long Beach football, the iconic Veterans Memorial Stadium will be demolished later this month to make way for a modern replacement, slated for completion in 2029.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The Galaxy’s first substitution came in the 68th minute, when Lozano left the field to make way for Robert Taylor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
A Labour lawmaker in the northern district of Makerfield agreed to make way for Burnham to run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
With the removal of Verizon, the Dow no longer has a pure-play telecoms representative: AT&T was removed in 2015 to make way for Apple.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
It reminded her of the iron keys Conjure folk put on their altars for protection or to make way for new things.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
