gave way

phrase

past tense of give way
1
as in collapsed
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure That old chair is going to give way soon.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in withdrew
to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) They were urged to give way but chose to stand their ground.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gave way The defense had its moments but gave way when the game was on the line. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Before long, those casual first impressions gave way to deep friendship. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026 Children’s laughter and music gave way to distant explosions. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 This gave way to the idea of their new app Anywear, which launched Tuesday. — Kanika Talwar, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 Rachel and Monica’s West Village sublet gave way to Hannah and Marnie’s Greenpoint apartment—an address that might be considered laughably unattainable by the broke twentysomethings of today. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 Those boos gave way to cheers when the Red Sox played a 90-second tribute video after the bottom of the first. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026 The thousands of dedicated online retailers gave way to the Amazons and eBays — companies that truly figured out how to reimagine retail using the technology rather than simply take orders on the internet. — Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 And one week later, when all Cousins did was watch from the sideline while Mendoza started and then gave way to third-stringer Aidan O'Connell in the second half, Kubiak's changing course? — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

gave up (to)
gave way
gave way (to)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gave way.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gave%20way. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All