What is the meaning of give way?

verb

  • Move in order to make room for someone for something.
    • usage: "The park gave way to a supermarket"; "`Move over,' he told the crowd"
  • Break down, literally or metaphorically.
    • usage: "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"
  • End resistance, as under pressure or force.
    • usage: "The door yielded to repeated blows with a battering ram"
  • Stop operating or functioning.
    • usage: "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"
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APAWordNet. (2010). give way. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/give_way/definitions/1282243
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "give way" http://smartdefine.org/give_way/definitions/1282243 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, give way, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/give_way/definitions/1282243>.
MLAWordNet. "give way" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/give_way/definitions/1282243>