GAVE GROUND Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

gave ground

phrase

past tense of give ground

as in withdrew

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) There is wildlife in the area, so give ground if you see any when hiking.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gave ground

Phrase

In the city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah, a shipping container drifting down a street gave way Friday to a mess of mud and debris to be cleaned up as people who had evacuated earlier in the week returned home.

— MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Those failed rallies eventually gave way to a correction of approximately 10%, accompanied by the Iran conflict.

— Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of gave way

Phrase

In every measure that the poll has tracked, Republicans have lost ground in the last year and a half, and only hold a slim advantage on crime and public safety issues and border security.

— Stephen Fowler, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi as well as Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost ground.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lost ground

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

gave birth to

gave ground

gave in

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Gave ground.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gave%20ground. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of gave ground

phrase

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

disparate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes