give way

phrase

1

a

: retreat

b

: to yield the right of way

2

: to yield oneself without restraint or control

3

a

: to yield to or as if to physical stress

The roof gave way under heavy snow.

b

: to yield to entreaty or insistence

After several hours of debate, the opposition finally gave way.

4

: to yield place

Farmland has given way to shopping malls.

5

: to begin to row

Examples of give way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If there was any rust on the outfit from nine years of inactivity, it was knocked off the instant the song’s trademark chiming riff gave way to the thwack of Lynch’s snare drum, bringing the band to life. — Adam Gold, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026

For 718 days, as one season gave way to the next and search after search turned up empty, Nancy Tucker remained missing. — Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2026

That change means the transition to Narnia will mark the same kind of transition people felt in real life as the 1950s gave way to the ’70s. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026

The accords failed to stop the war, creating a frozen conflict with an ever-rising human toll that ultimately gave way to a full-scale invasion. — David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for give way

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway