give way Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. verb move in order to make room for someone for something
   ease up; move over; yield; give.
   
   • The park gave way to a supermarket
   • `Move over,' he told the crowd
2. verb break down, literally or metaphorically
   collapse; founder; give; break; cave in; fall in.
   
   • 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. verb end resistance, as under pressure or force
   yield.
   
   • The door yielded to repeated blows with a battering ram
4. verb stop operating or functioning
   die; give out; break; go; go bad; conk out; fail; break down.
   
   • 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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