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way

[wey]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

manner, mode, or fashion: a new way of looking at a matter; to reply in a polite way.

characteristic or habitual manner: Her way is to work quietly and never complain.

a method, plan, or means for attaining a goal: to find a way to reduce costs.

a respect or particular: The plan is defective in several ways.

a direction or vicinity: Look this way. We're having a drought out our way.

EXPAND

passage or progress on a course: to make one's way on foot; to lead the way.

Often, ways. distance: They've come a long way.

a path or course leading from one place to another: What's the shortest way to town?

British.

an old Roman or pre-Roman road: Icknield Way.

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.

ways, two or more ground ways down which a hull slides in being launched.

movement or passage through the water.

21.

Machinery. a longitudinal strip, as in a planer, guiding a moving part along a surface.

COLLAPSE

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,

by the route of; through; via.

as a method or means of: to number articles by way of distinguishing them.

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,

to withdraw or retreat: The army gave way before the advance of the enemy.

to collapse; yield; break down: You will surely give way under the strain of overwork.

26.

give way to,

to yield to: He gave way to their entreaties.

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.

EXPAND

27.

go all the way, Slang.

to do completely or wholeheartedly.

to take a decisive action, especially one from which no retreat is possible: Neither side wants to go all the way with nuclear warfare.

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, (especially 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,

to go along a course in advance of others, as a guide.

to take the initiative; be first or most prominent: In fashion she has always led the way.

35.

make one's way,

to go forward; proceed: to make one's way through the mud.

to achieve recognition or success; advance: to make one's way in the world.

36.

make way,

to allow to pass; clear the way: Make way for the king!

to relinquish to another; withdraw: He resigned to make way for a younger man.

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,

in a state or condition so as not to obstruct or hinder.

dealt with; disposed of: I feel better, now that one problem is out of the way.

murdered: to have a person put out of the way.

out of the frequented way; at a distance from the usual route.

improper; amiss: There was something decidedly out of the way about her explanation.

extraordinary; unusual: Such behavior was out of the way for him.

39.

pave the way to/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.

COLLAPSE

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Way is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
before 900; Middle English wei(gh)e, wai, Old English weg; cognate with Dutch, German Weg, Old Norse vegr, Gothic wigs; akin to Latin vehere to carry

Related forms

way·less, adjective

Synonyms
3. scheme, device. See method. 4. detail, part. 7. space, interval. 10. track. 14. usage, practice, wont.

Example Sentences

Readers' experiences with transportation alternatives point the way to a more efficient and healthier future for public transit.

The way to do that was to use strong language, forcefully identifying the enterprise's many flaws and broken parts.

It is not possible for everyone to save their way to prosperity.

EXPAND

Readers' experiences with transportation alternatives point the way to a more efficient and healthier future for public transit.

The way to do that was to use strong language, forcefully identifying the enterprise's many flaws and broken parts.

It is not possible for everyone to save their way to prosperity.

Governments and industry clear-cut forests to make way for service and transit roads.

Planet hunters have discovered the biggest new world yet and it is going the wrong way around its home sun.

Only he has discovered another, more elemental way to explore it.

Canning is the best way to preserve the freshness of summer fruit.

If you keep your gaze fixed, others will instinctively get out of the way.

It's an extremely valuable way to uncover information.

Strangely, it is this last quality that may have the deepest effect on the way people live.

Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today.

In practice, the results mean that you might soon be able to buy roses sporting soft petals all the way up the stem.

The boats became the way to get around the lagoon's islands.

Starting crops from seed is a satisfying and economical way to grow your own plants, flowers, and veggies.

Astronomers have long thought this sort of intergalactic violence could be the normal way large galaxies grow.

McEntee's career is on something of a roll, but hardly in the way he'd.

That, of course, is rather a crude way of putting it.

There was only one way scientists could unlock the mystery of the famous iceman.

Some types of pigeons are well known for their ability to find their way home.

Several well-established eateries along the way offer hearty meals, quirky specialties, and plenty of local color.

Take open-air entertaining way beyond the grill with ideas from our own backyard makeover more.

For more on that, and a way to avoid becoming a news.

The impact factor, once a simple way to rank scientific journals, has become an.

Crank your way to backcountry bliss and bayou barbeque-Mississippi is the country's newest cycling hotbed.

Scientists have been searching for an accurate way to measure pain beyond a patient's self-report, but to no avail.

Kudzu is totally out of control, and there is no easy or inexpensive way to stop it.

Here's the best way to grow cilantro for a fast, continuous crop.

His discovery helps clear the way for splitting the nuclei of even.

Evolving standards may change the way colleges plan online-learning offerings.

Sadly, the metal lunch box has mostly gone the way of the overhead projector.

Here's a cool way to bring wild berries to your table.

Streaming black box data in real time is a better way to fly.

Genetic research finally makes its way into the thinking of sociologists.

Pachinos are generally small, shiny and outlandishly sweet, way too good for sauce.

All of those rules are supports for a way of life that is ultimately directed toward a higher meaning.

Study paves way for large-scale engineering of complex cells.

Now it appears that things don't have to be that way.

Using in-season fruit, such as peaches, as a base to a simple homemade barbecue sauce is a great way to add a bit of surprise.

Their freshman frolic has given way to daunting challenges.

Wall-free office spaces did not quite work out the way their utopian inventors intended.

The tops of tall liquidambars lopped off to make way for an expanded roof line.

Campus bookstores are leading the way in alerting colleges to provisions of a new textbook-affordability law.

The only way for locals to do this is to produce a smaller amount of food.

Pedicabs offer a great way to make a living and are a part of the solution to a greener way of life.

Some peas are for shelling, some have edible pods, and others can be eaten either way.

Now researchers have devised a way to use black box info from planes.

If soil is highly salty, the only successful way to garden may be in high raised beds filled with healthy, well-amended topsoil.

They are not rejecting all the biology or archaeology pieces that come their way.

The same place that gave the world the atomic bomb has now found a way to ferret out illicit nuclear material.

Steaming fish is a healthy and easy way to cook dinner.

Everyone who craves to stay and carves out a way to do it has a story, usually a good one.

And with three young children, everyone seemed to be getting in the way.

Fabrics are a wonderful way to layer the look of your home–from window coverings and upholstery to bed coverings and headboards.

But the main way to the garden was through doors that opened from the house into a side yard.

The easy way to hit the water is to charter, or rent, a yacht.

Here's a great way to use summer's abundant squashes.

Make fresh air viewing a new way to spend some downtime.

Canning is the best way to make summer produce last through the year.

Luckily, nature has already created broccoli that performs much that way.

If you don't want to build your own box, here's another way you can go.

And junipers, with their lovely fine textures, fit right in with that way of thinking.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

adverb

Also, 'way. away; from this or that place: Go way.

to a great degree or at quite a distance; far: way too heavy; way down the road.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English, aphetic variant of away

Link To way

Collins

World English Dictionary

way (weɪ)

—n
1.	a manner, method, or means: a way of life; a way of knowing
2.	a route or direction: the way home
3.	a. a means or line of passage, such as a path or track
	b. (in combination): waterway
4.	space or room for movement or activity (esp in the phrases make way, in the way, out of the way)
5.	distance, usually distance in general: you've come a long way
6.	a passage or journey: on the way
7.	characteristic style or manner: I did it in my own way
8.	(often plural) habits; idiosyncrasies: he has some offensive ways
9.	an aspect of something; particular: in many ways he was right
10.	a. a street in or leading out of a town
	b. (capital when part of a street name): Icknield Way
11.	something that one wants in a determined manner (esp in the phrases get or have one's (own) way)
12.	the experience or sphere in which one comes into contact with things (esp in the phrase come one's way)
13.	informal a state or condition, usually financial or concerning health (esp in the phrases in a good (or bad) way)
14.	informal the area or direction of one's home: drop in if you're ever over my way
15.	movement of a ship or other vessel
16.	a right of way in law
17.	a guide along which something can be moved, such as the surface of a lathe along which the tailstock slides
18.	(plural) the wooden or metal tracks down which a ship slides to be launched
19.	a course of life including experiences, conduct, etc: the way of sin
20.	archaic calling or trade
21.	(sentence modifier) by the way in passing or incidentally
22.	by way of
	a. via
	b. serving as: by way of introduction
	c. in the state or condition of: by way of being an artist
23.	each way (of a bet) laid on a horse, dog, etc, to win or gain a place
24.	give way
	a. to collapse or break down
	b. to withdraw or yield
25.	give way to
	a. to step aside for or stop for
	b. to give full rein to (emotions, etc)
26.	go out of one's way to take considerable trouble or inconvenience oneself
27.	have a way with to have such a manner or skill as to handle successfully
28.	have it both ways to enjoy two things that would normally contradict each other or be mutually exclusive
29.	in a way in some respects
30.	in no way not at all
31.	lead the way
	a. to go first
	b. to set an example or precedent
32.	make one's way
	a. to proceed or advance
	b. to achieve success in life
33.	informal no way that is impossible
34.	informal on the way out
	a. becoming unfashionable, obsolete, etc
	b. dying
35.	out of the way
	a. removed or dealt with so as to be no longer a hindrance
	b. remote
	c. unusual and sometimes improper
36.	pay one's way See pay
37.	see one's way, see one's way clear to find it possible and be willing (to do something)
38.	(Irish) the way so that: I left early the way I would avoid the traffic
39.	under way having started moving or making progress

—*adv*
40.	informal
	a. at a considerable distance or extent: way over yonder
	b. very far: they're way up the mountain
41.	informal by far; considerably: way better
42.	slang truly; genuinely: they have a way cool site

[Old English weg; related to Old Frisian wei, Old Norse vegr, Gothic wigs]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

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,

EXPAND

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.

COLLAPSE

Slang Dictionary

way definition

mod.
extremely; totally. : Oh, this is way gross!
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.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

way

In addition to the idioms beginning with way, also see all the way; by the way; by way of; can't punch one's way out of a paper bag; come a long way; come one's way; cut both ways; downhill all the way; every which way; feel one's way; find one's way; from way back; get one's way; give way; go all the way; go a long way toward; go one's way; go out of one's way; go the way of all flesh; hard way; have a way with; have it both ways; have one's way with; in a bad way; in a big way; in a way; in one's way; in the family way; in the way; in the worst way; know all the answers (one's way around); laugh all the way to the bank; lead the way; look the other way; make one's way; make way; mend one's ways; more than one way to skin a cat; not built that way; no two ways about it; no way; one way or another; on one's way; on the way; on the way out; other way round; out of the way; parting of the ways; pave the way; pay one's way; pick one's way; put in the way of; right of way; rub the wrong way; see one's way to; set in one's ways; show the way; take the wrong way; that's how (the way) the ball bounces; under way; wend one's way; work one's way.