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make one's way

 - 4 dictionary results

way

1  [wey]
Use make one's way in a Sentence
–noun
1. manner, mode, or fashion: a new way of looking at a matter; to reply in a polite way.
2. characteristic or habitual manner: Her way is to work quietly and never complain.
3. a method, plan, or means for attaining a goal: to find a way to reduce costs.
4. a respect or particular: The plan is defective in several ways.
5. a direction or vicinity: Look this way. We're having a drought out our way.
6. passage or progress on a course: to make one's way on foot; to lead the way.
7. Often, ways. distance: They've come a long way.
8. a path or course leading from one place to another: What's the shortest way to town?
9. British.
a. an old Roman or pre-Roman road: Icknield Way.
b. a minor street in a town: He lives in Stepney Way.
10. a road, route, passage, or channel (usually used in combination): highway; waterway; doorway.
11. Law. a right of way.
12. any line of passage or travel, used or available: to blaze a way through dense woods.
13. space for passing or advancing: to clear a way through the crowd.
14. Often, ways. a habit or custom: The grandmother lived by the ways of the old country.
15. course or mode of procedure that one chooses or wills: They had to do it my way.
16. condition, as to health, prosperity, or the like: to be in a bad way.
17. range or extent of experience or notice: the best device that ever came in my way.
18. a course of life, action, or experience: The way of transgressors is hard.
19. Informal. business: to be in the haberdashery way.
20. Nautical.
a. ways, two or more ground ways down which a hull slides in being launched.
b. movement or passage through the water.
21. Machinery. a longitudinal strip, as in a planer, guiding a moving part along a surface.
—Idioms
22. by the way, in the course of one's remarks; incidentally: By the way, have you received that letter yet?
23. by way of,
a. by the route of; through; via.
b. as a method or means of: to number articles by way of distinguishing them.
c. British. in the state or position of (being, doing, etc.); ostensibly: He is by way of being an authority on the subject.
24. come one's way, to come to one; befall one: A bit of good fortune came my way.
25. give way,
a. to withdraw or retreat: The army gave way before the advance of the enemy.
b. to collapse; yield; break down: You will surely give way under the strain of overwork.
26. give way to,
a. to yield to: He gave way to their entreaties.
b. to become unrestrained or uninhibited; lose control of (one's temper, emotions, etc.): I gave way to my rage and ordered them from the house.
27. go all the way, Slang.
a. to do completely or wholeheartedly.
b. to take a decisive action, esp. one from which no retreat is possible: Neither side wants to go all the way with nuclear warfare.
c. to engage in sexual intercourse.
28. go out of one's way, to do something that inconveniences one; make an unusual effort: Please don't go out of your way on my account.
29. have a way with, to have a charming, persuasive, or effective manner of dealing with: He has a way with children; to have a way with words.
30. have one's way with, (esp. of a man) to have sexual intercourse with, sometimes by intimidating or forcing one's partner.
31. in a family way, pregnant.
32. in a way, after a fashion; to some extent: In a way, she's the nicest person I know.
33. in someone's way, forming a hindrance, impediment, or obstruction: She might have succeeded in her ambition, had not circumstances been in her way. Also, in the way.
34. lead the way,
a. to go along a course in advance of others, as a guide.
b. to take the initiative; be first or most prominent: In fashion she has always led the way.
35. make one's way,
a. to go forward; proceed: to make one's way through the mud.
b. to achieve recognition or success; advance: to make one's way in the world.
36. make way,
a. to allow to pass; clear the way: Make way for the king!
b. to relinquish to another; withdraw: He resigned to make way for a younger man.
c. Nautical. to make forward or astern progress even though engines are not running.
37. no way, Informal. not under any circumstances; no: Apologize to him? No way!
38. out of the way,
a. in a state or condition so as not to obstruct or hinder.
b. dealt with; disposed of: I feel better, now that one problem is out of the way.
c. murdered: to have a person put out of the way.
d. out of the frequented way; at a distance from the usual route.
e. improper; amiss: There was something decidedly out of the way about her explanation.
f. extraordinary; unusual: Such behavior was out of the way for him.
39. pave the way to or for. pave (def. 3).
40. see one's way clear, to regard as suitable or possible; consider seriously: We couldn't see our way clear to spending so much money at once. Also, see one's way.
41. take one's way, to start out; travel; go: He took his way across the park and headed uptown.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME wei(gh)e, wai, OE weg; c. D, G Weg, ON vegr, Goth wigs; akin to L vehere to carry

Related forms:
wayless, adjective

Synonyms:
3. scheme, device. See method. 4. detail, part. 7. space, interval. 10. track. 14. usage, practice, wont.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Slang Dictionary
way

  1. mod.
    extremely; totally. : Oh, this is way gross!
  2. interj.
    There is too a way!, as an answer to No way! : A: I won't do it. No way! B: Way! Yes, you will.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

way 
O.E. weg "road, path, course of travel," from P.Gmc. *wegaz (cf. O.S., Du. weg, O.N. vegr, O.Fris. wei, O.H.G. weg, Ger. Weg, Goth. wigs "way"), from PIE *wegh- "to move" (see weigh). Most of the extended senses developed in M.E. Adj. meaning "very, extremely" is early 1980s, perhaps from phrase all the way. Wayfaring is O.E. wegfarende; Ways and means "resources at a person's disposal" is attested from c.1430. Way-out (adj.) "original, bold," is jazz slang, first recorded 1940s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

make one's way

  1. Go in a particular direction or to a particular destination, as in I'm making my way to the china department, or How are we going to make our way through this underbrush? This usage was first recorded about 1400.

  2. Also, make one's own way. Advance in life by one's own efforts, His family hasn't much money so he'll just have to make his own way in the world. [c. 1600]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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