carve out

Al Qaeda has never managed to carve out a large chunk of real estate to call its own—in Afghanistan it was a guest of the Taliban.

Carve out a profitable niche, and someone—or some group of people—will aim to muscle in.

One possibility is that Ebola has already managed to travel halfway around the world to carve out a biological niche.

The whole purpose of “Turn the Gays Away” was to carve out religious exemptions to civil rights laws.

As a precedent, Putin cited Kosovo, which the West helped carve out of Serbia in 1999 against Russian objections.

He was yet young, vigorous and ambitious, and with the help of heaven he would carve out his own fortune.

I wonder I never had sufficient wit to carve out one like this before.

The Norman lords who were invited hither to carve out careers for themselves had much success.

I have a sword, and it shall go hard if I do not carve out a destiny worthy even of Henrietta Temple.'

Starting as a novice he had to carve out his own little niche in company where the competition already was fierce.