What does give way mean?

Definitions for give way
give way

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word give way.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. move over, give way, give, ease up, yieldverb

    move in order to make room for someone for something

    "The park gave way to a supermarket"; "`Move over,' he told the crowd"

  2. collapse, fall in, cave in, give, give way, break, founderverb

    break down, literally or metaphorically

    "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"

  3. give way, yieldverb

    end resistance, as under pressure or force

    "The door yielded to repeated blows with a battering ram"

  4. fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out, go, break, break downverb

    stop operating or functioning

    "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"

Wiktionary

  1. give wayverb

    To yield to persistent persuasion.

  2. give wayverb

    To collapse or break under physical stresses.

  3. give wayverb

    To be followed, succeeded, or replaced by.

  4. give wayverb

    To give precedence to other road users.

Wikipedia

  1. give way

    In road transport, a yield or give way sign indicates that merging drivers must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. A driver who stops or slows down to let another vehicle through has yielded the right of way to that vehicle. In contrast, a stop sign requires each driver to stop completely before proceeding, whether or not other traffic is present. Under the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, the international standard for the modern sign is an inverted equilateral triangle with a red border and either a white or yellow background. Particular regulations regarding appearance, installation, and compliance with the signs vary by some jurisdiction.

ChatGPT

  1. give way

    Give way generally refers to allowing someone or something else to proceed or take precedence. It can be used in various contexts including traffic, where one vehicle is allowed to proceed before another, or in discussions, where one person stops talking so another can start. It can also imply yielding under pressure or breaking down. The phrase usually signifies an act of deference, consideration, or respect.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. give way

    The order to a boat's crew to renew rowing, or to increase their exertions if they were already rowing. To hang on the oars.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce give way?

How to say give way in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of give way in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of give way in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of give way in a Sentence

  1. Justice William O. Douglas:

    Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order, to efficiency of operation, to scientific advancement and the like.

  2. Innes Willox:

    The current international border setting is virtually no-one-in and no-one-out, this needs to give way to a more sensible position and a much more ambitious border opening goal than the July 2022 target currently adopted by the Federal Government.

  3. The Supreme Court:

    Privacy concerns give way.

  4. Samuel Pepys:

    Music and woman I cannot but give way to, whatever my business is.

  5. David Hope:

    The political pressure may well prevail in the sense that in the end Boris Johnson has to simply give way for political reasons, but without a Section 30 order, I don’t see how a measure which directly attacks the union can get away with it.


Translations for give way

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • nachgeben, weichenGerman
  • Ceda el pasoSpanish
  • antaa periksi, tila, sortua, väistääFinnish
  • céder, laisser la place à, céder la place à, abandonnerFrench
  • ngawhere, tautuku, ngaekiMāori
  • ustąpić pierwszeństwa, ustąpić miejscaPolish
  • уступать дорогу, поддаваться, пропускать, пропустить, уступить, уступить дорогу, поддаться, уступатьRussian
  • 讓路Chinese

Get even more translations for give way »

Translation

Find a translation for the give way definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"give way." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 13 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/give+way>.

Discuss these give way definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for give way? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    give way

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    (used of persons) bound to a tract of land; hence their service is transferable from owner to owner
    A ambidextrous
    B unsealed
    C adscripted
    D defiant

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for give way: