make way

phrase

Synonyms of make waynext
1
: to give room for passing, entering, or occupying
… many of the old villas were being torn down to make way for high rises …—William Murray
2
: to make progress

Examples of make way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing to make way for his ballroom project has also been dumped on the grounds. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 A matter of climate and security Relocating populations to make way for dams is far from unprecedented in the region — though the practice often proves controversial. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026 With his new Nebraska collegiate ball cap and now headed off to university, the sleeper agent has some vital decisions to make way beyond declaring a major. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Monday night marked the end of an era at Hollywood Burbank Airport, as the final flights departed to make way for the brand-new terminal's grand opening on Tuesday. — Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for make way

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of make way was in the 12th century

Rhymes for make way

See All Rhymes for make way

Browse Nearby Words

make waves
make way
makeweight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20way. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on make way

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for make way

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All