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

But in an era when only six of the 20 teams spent under £100million this summer, those bargain-basement deals have given way to big-money moves. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

However, the architect eventually gives way to use and function first, despite valuing the aesthetics at hand (not to mention, his collaborations with local artisans). — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026

Over time, these hasty constructions gave way to sites that still define New York, like the vast Reflecting Absence memorial at the World Trade Center site, a garden in northern Manhattan, and a memorial on the shores of Staten Island. — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

The baby pink style was made of a sheer, breezy pink fabric and featured crystallized spaghetti straps that gave way to frindgy crystalized trim that decorated the hem. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 5 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