way : Idioms & Phrases

-ways

Definitions

1. A suffix formed from way by the addition of the adverbial -s (see -wards). It is often used interchangeably with wise; as, endways or endwise; noways or nowise, etc.

Webster 1913

• a passage for a current of air; as the air way of an air pump; an air way in a mine.

Webster 1913

• adverb to the goal
  all the way.
  
  • she climbed the mountain all the way
• adverb completely
  clear.
  
  • read the book clear to the end
  • slept clear through the night
  • there were open fields clear to the horizon
• adverb not stopping short of sexual intercourse
  
  • she went all the way with him

WordNet

• noun the point on the celestial sphere toward which the sun and solar system appear to be moving relative to the fixed stars
  apex; solar apex.
  

WordNet

• noun an ancient Roman road in Italy extending south from Rome to Brindisi; begun in 312 BC
  

WordNet

• the timbers which support the cradle of a ship upon the ways, and which slide upon the launching ways in launching the vessel.

Webster 1913

• a path or way for saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for vehicles.

Webster 1913

• . (Naut.) See Bilge ways.

Webster 1913

• adverb introducing a different topic; in point of fact
  by the bye; incidentally; apropos.
  
  • incidentally, I won't go to the party

WordNet

• in passing; apropos; aside; apart from, though connected with, the main object or subject of discourse.
• by the bye; used to introduce an incidental or secondary remark or subject. -

Webster 1913

• for the purpose of; as being; in character of.

Webster 1913

• (Naut.), a staircase leading to the cabin.

Webster 1913

• (Fort.), a corridor or banquette along the top of the counterscarp and covered by an embankment whose slope forms the glacis. It gives the garrisonn an open line of communication around the works, and a standing place beyond the ditch. See Illust. of Ravelin.

Webster 1913

• (Fort.) See Covered way, under Covered.
• . (Fort.) See Covered way, under Covered.

Webster 1913

• adverb in a random manner
  arbitrarily; willy-nilly; indiscriminately; haphazardly; randomly; at random.
  
  • the houses were randomly scattered
  • bullets were fired into the crowd at random
• adverb haphazardly
  helter-skelter.
  
  • the books were piled up helter-skelter

WordNet

• noun an ancient Roman road in Italy built by Gaius Flaminius in 220 BC; extends north from Rome to cisalpine Gaul
  

WordNet

Four"-way` adjective

Definitions

1. Allowing passage in either of four directions; as, a four-way cock, or valve. Francis.

Webster 1913

• a cock connected with four pipes or ports, and having two or more passages in the plug, by which the adjacent pipes or ports may be made to communicate; formerly used as a valve in the steam engine, and now for various other purposes. In the illustration, a leads to the upper end of a steam engine cylinder, and b to the lower end; c is the steam pipe, and d the exhaust pipe.

Webster 1913

• (Naut.), increased speed.

Webster 1913

• adverb since long ago
  since a long time ago.
  
  • she knows him from way back

WordNet

• 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
• 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
• verb end resistance, as under pressure or force
  yield.
  
  • The door yielded to repeated blows with a battering ram
• 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

WordNet

• verb suffice or be adequate for a while or to a certain extent
  

WordNet

• noun a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters
  Broadway.
  

WordNet

• adjective satellite facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
  distressed; hard put; hard-pressed.
  
  • distressed companies need loans and technical advice
  • financially hard-pressed Mexican hotels are lowering their prices
  • we were hard put to meet the mortgage payment
  • found themselves in a bad way financially

WordNet

• adverb in a general fashion
  at large.
  
  • he talked at large about his plans

WordNet

• like one belonging to the family. "Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way, and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?" Thackeray.

Webster 1913

• adverb in a sincere and heartfelt manner
  dearly.
  
  • I would dearly love to know

WordNet

• adverb with something of the same kind
  in kind.
  
  • she pays him back in kind

WordNet

• adverb from some points of view
  
  • she was right in a way

WordNet

• adverb with elaboration
  elaborately; intricately.
  
  • it was elaborately spelled out

WordNet

• adverb in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
  someway; someways; somehow; in some manner.
  
  • they managed somehow
  • he expected somehow to discover a woman who would love him
  • he tried to make is someway acceptable

WordNet

• adverb forming a hindrance, impediment, or obstruction
  in someone's way.
  
  • she might have succeeded in her ambition, had not circumstances been in her way

WordNet

• pregnant. Colloq.

Webster 1913

• adverb forming a hindrance, impediment, or obstruction
  in someone's way.
  
  • she might have succeeded in her ambition, had not circumstances been in her way

WordNet

• so as to meet, fall in with, obstruct, hinder, etc.

Webster 1913

• traveling or going with; meeting or being with; in the presence of.

Webster 1913

• adverb in a twofold manner
  doubly.
  
  • he was doubly wrong

WordNet

• a channel for a key, in the hole of a piece which is keyed to a shaft; an internal key seat; called also key seat.

Webster 1913

• . (Naut.) See Way, n. (Naut.).

Webster 1913

• the path by which the dead are carried to the grave. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• verb get out of the way
  
  • make way for the President's motorcade

WordNet

• noun the galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky
  Milky Way Galaxy; Milky Way.
  

WordNet

• . (Astron.) See Galaxy, 1.

Webster 1913

• noun the galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky
  Milky Way Galaxy; Milky Way.
  

WordNet

• noun the galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky
  Milky Way Galaxy; Milky Way.
  

WordNet

• . See Noway, Noways, in the Vocabulary.

Webster 1913

• etc. See under Road, Way, etc.

Webster 1913

• adverb on a route to some place
  en route.
  
  • help is on the way
  • we saw him on the way to California

WordNet

• traveling or going; hence, in process; advancing toward completion; as, on the way to this country; on the way to success.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite moving or permitting movement in one direction only
  
  • one-way streets
  • a one-way ticket

WordNet

• noun the elapsed time it takes for light (or radio signals) to travel between the Earth and a celestial object
  OWLT.
  

WordNet

• noun unilateral interaction
  
  • cooperation cannot be a one-way street
• noun a street on which vehicular traffic is allowed to move in only one direction
  

WordNet

• beyond the danger limit; in a safe place.

Webster 1913

• adverb extraordinary; unusual
  
  • such erratic behavior was out of the way for him
• adverb improper; amiss;
  
• adverb in a remote location or at a distance from the usual route
  
  • the restaurant is top-notch, but a little out of the way
• adverb murdered
  
  • the mob boss wanted his rival out of the way
• adverb dealt with; disposed of
  
  • I'm so relieved that my midterm is out of the way
• adverb so as not to obstruct or hinder
  
  • put that box out of the way so that no one trips on it

WordNet

• . (a) On one side; hard to reach or find; secluded . (b) Improper; unusual; wrong.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite out of the ordinary
  
  • out-of-the-way information
• adjective satellite improper or even offensive
  
  • out-of-the-way remarks
• adjective satellite remote from populous or much-traveled regions
  off the beaten track.
  
  • they found a quiet out-of-the-way resort

WordNet

Out`-of-the-way" adjective

Definitions

1. See under Out, adv.

Webster 1913

• the roadbed and superstructure of a finished railway; so called in distinction from the contractor's temporary way.

Webster 1913

• a road surface formed of planks. U.S.

Webster 1913

• verb indicate the right path or direction
  
  • The sign pointed the way to London

WordNet

• a right of private passage over another man's ground.

Webster 1913

• the canal for the current that drives a water wheel.

Webster 1913

• noun the privilege of someone to pass over land belonging to someone else
  
• noun the right of one vehicle or vessel to take precedence over another
  
• noun the passage consisting of a path or strip of land over which someone has the legal right to pass
  

WordNet

• (Law), a right of private passage over another's ground. It may arise either by grant or prescription. It may be attached to a house, entry, gate, well, or city lot, as well as to a country farm. Kent.

Webster 1913

• noun a roundabout road (especially one that is used temporarily while a main route is blocked)
  detour.
  

WordNet

• (Naut.), the timber guides used in launching a vessel.

Webster 1913

• a valve which, when opened widely, affords a straight passageway, as for water.

Webster 1913

• adverb with the order reversed
  contrariwise; vice versa.
  
  • she hates him and vice versa

WordNet

• adverb in the right manner
  right; decent; in good order; decently; properly.
  
  • please do your job properly!
  • can't you carry me decent?

WordNet

• noun the manner in which people typically behave or things typically happen
  the way of the world.
  
  • the ordinary reader is endowed with considerable wisdom and knowledge of the way of the world
  • she was well-versed in the ways of the world before she had taken the veil
  • he was amazingly innocent of the ways of the world

WordNet

• noun the manner in which people typically behave or things typically happen
  the way of the world.
  
  • the ordinary reader is endowed with considerable wisdom and knowledge of the way of the world
  • she was well-versed in the ways of the world before she had taken the veil
  • he was amazingly innocent of the ways of the world

WordNet

• adverb to the goal
  all the way.
  
  • she climbed the mountain all the way

WordNet

• adjective satellite involving three parties or elements
  three-party; tripartite.
  
  • a tripartite treaty
  • a tripartite division
  • a three-way playoff

WordNet

Three"-way` adjective

Definitions

1. Connected with, or serving to connect, three channels or pipes; as, a three-way cock or valve.

Webster 1913

• noun a way of adding a third party to your conversation without the assistance of a telephone operator
  

WordNet

• noun an electric switch that has three terminals; used to control a circuit from two different locations
  three-point switch.
  

WordNet

• (Naut.), to be in motion, as when a ship begins to move.

Webster 1913

• to accompany, guide, or attend one.

Webster 1913

• to take away; to remove. Obs. "Do way your hands." Chaucer.
• to put away; to lay aside. Obs. Chaucer.

Webster 1913

• to force one's way by pushing with the elbows; as, to elbow one's way through a crowd.

Webster 1913

• to increase the speed of a vessel.

Webster 1913

• (Naut.), to begin to move; to move with increasing speed.

Webster 1913

• . (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent.

Webster 1913

• to row in time; to keep stroke.

Webster 1913

• to set forth; to depart.

Webster 1913

• to go or come; to depart or come along. Shak.

Webster 1913

• to die. = to go the way of all flesh.

Webster 1913

• to show the way by going in front; to act as guide. Goldsmith.

Webster 1913

• to be an obstacle or impediment.

Webster 1913

• to advance in life by one's personal efforts.

Webster 1913

• . See under Make, v. t.

Webster 1913

• . (a) To make progress; to advance. (b) To open a passage; to clear the way .

Webster 1913

• to make away with. See under Away. Archaic

Webster 1913

• literally, to go half the distance between in order to meet (one); hence, figuratively, to yield or concede half of the difference in order to effect a compromise or reconciliation with.

Webster 1913

• to kill; to destroy.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite supported by both sides
  bipartisan; two-party; bipartizan.
  
  • a two-way treaty
• adjective satellite involving two parts or elements
  two-part; bipartite.
  
  • a bipartite document
  • a two-way treaty
• adjective satellite operating or permitting operation in either of two opposite directions
  
  • a two-way valve
  • two-way traffic
  • two-way streets

WordNet

• noun a street on which vehicular traffic can move in either of two directions
  
  • you have to look both ways crossing a two-way street

WordNet

• adverb in motion; set in motion
  
  • the ship got under way

WordNet

• (Naut.), in a condition to make progress; having started.

Webster 1913

Wa"ter way`

Definitions

1. Same as Water course.

Webster 1913

• permission to cross, or a right of way across, land; also, rent paid for such right. Eng

Webster 1913

• noun a course of conduct
  path; way.
  
  • the path of virtue
  • we went our separate ways
  • our paths in life led us apart
  • genius usually follows a revolutionary path

WordNet

• (Eccl.), the course taken in visiting in rotation the stations of the cross. See Station, n., 7 (c).

Webster 1913

• (Fort.), a space left for the passage of the rounds between a rampart and the wall of a fortified town.

Webster 1913

• noun an opening that permits escape or release
  issue; exit; outlet.
  
  • he blocked the way out
  • the canyon had only one issue

WordNet

• a pane for cartage in irrigated land. See Pane, n., 4. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• a passenger taken up, or set down, at some intermediate place between the principal stations on a line of travel.

Webster 1913

Way" shaft`

Definitions

1. (Mach.) A rock shaft.
2. (Mining) An interior shaft, usually one connecting two levels. Raymond.

Webster 1913

• noun a stopping place on a journey
  stopover.
  
  • there is a stopover to change planes in Chicago
• noun a small railway station between the principal stations or a station where the train stops only on a signal
  whistle stop; flag stop.
  

WordNet

• an intermediate station between principal stations on a line of travel, especially on a railroad.

Webster 1913

• a train which stops at the intermediate, or way, stations; an accommodation train.

Webster 1913

• the surveyor of a road.

Webster 1913

Way"-go`ing adjective

Definitions

1. Going away; departing; of or pertaining to one who goes away.

Webster 1913

Way"-goose` noun

Definitions

1. See Wayz-goose, n., 2. Eng.

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite informal terms; strikingly unconventional
  offbeat; quirky; kinky; far-out.
  

WordNet

Way"-wise` adjective

Definitions

1. Skillful in finding the way; well acquainted with the way or route; wise from having traveled.

Webster 1913

• noun resources available to meet expenses (especially legislation for raising revenue for a government)
  

WordNet

• . (a) Methods; resources; facilities. (b) (Legislation) Means for raising money; resources for revenue.

Webster 1913

• noun a permanent committee of the United States House of Representatives that makes recommendations to the US House on all bills that would raise revenue
  

WordNet

• his providential government, or his works.

Webster 1913