Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - way

(ways) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you refer to a way of doing something, you are referring to how you can do it, for example the action you can take or the method you can use to achieve it. Another way of making new friends is to go to an evening class... I worked myself into a frenzy plotting ways to make him jealous... I can’t think of a worse way to spend my time... There just might be a way... ‘All right, Mrs Bates,’ she said. ‘We’ll do it your way’. N-COUNT: oft N of -ing, N to-inf 2. If you talk about the way someone does something, you are talking about the qualities their action has. She smiled in a friendly way... He had a strange way of talking... N-COUNT: usu sing, usu adj N 3. If a general statement or description is true in a particular way, this is the form of it that is true in a particular case. Computerized reservation systems help airline profits in several ways... She was afraid in a way that was quite new to her... N-COUNT: with supp, oft in N 4. You use way in expressions such as in some ways, in many ways, and in every way to indicate the degree or extent to which a statement is true. In some ways, the official opening is a formality... She described her lover as ‘perfect in every way’. = respect N-COUNT: in N with supp 5. The ways of a particular person or group of people are their customs or their usual behaviour. He denounces people who urge him to alter his ways... He said he was against returning to old authoritarian ways. N-PLURAL: with supp 6. If you refer to someone’s way, you are referring to their usual or preferred type of behaviour. She is now divorced and, in her usual resourceful way, has started her own business... Direct confrontation was not his way. N-SING: with poss 7. You use way to refer to one particular opinion or interpretation of something, when others are possible. I suppose that’s one way of looking at it... With most of Dylan’s lyrics, however, there are other ways of interpreting the words... Sometimes, the bank manager just doesn’t see it your way. N-COUNT: with supp 8. You use way when mentioning one of a number of possible, alternative results or decisions. There is no indication which way the vote could go... The judge could have decided either way. N-COUNT: with supp 9. The way you feel about something is your attitude to it or your opinion about it. I’m terribly sorry–I had no idea you felt that way. N-SING: with supp 10. If you mention the way that something happens, you are mentioning the fact that it happens. I hate the way he manipulates people... You may remember the way each scene ended with someone looking pensive or significant. N-SING: the N that 11. You use way in expressions such as push your way, work your way, or eat your way, followed by a prepositional phrase or adverb, in order to indicate movement, progress, or force as well as the action described by the verb. She thrust her way into the crowd... He thought we were trying to buy our way into his company... N-SING: poss N 12. The way somewhere consists of the different places that you go through or the route that you take in order to get there. Does anybody know the way to the bathroom?... I’m afraid I can’t remember the way... We’re not even a third of the way there... N-COUNT: usu the N in sing, oft N to n 13. If you go or look a particular way, you go or look in that direction. As he strode into the kitchen, he passed Pop coming the other way... They paused at the top of the stairs, doubtful as to which way to go next... Could you look this way? N-SING: with supp 14. You can refer to the direction you are travelling in as your way. (SPOKEN) She would say she was going my way and offer me a lift. N-SING: poss N 15. If you lose your way, you take a wrong or unfamiliar route, so that you do not know how to get to the place that you want to go to. If you find your way, you manage to get to the place that you want to go to. The men lost their way in a sandstorm and crossed the border by mistake... N-SING: poss N 16. You talk about people going their different ways in order to say that their lives develop differently and they have less contact with each other. It wasn’t until we each went our separate ways that I began to learn how to do things for myself... You go your way and I’ll go mine. N-COUNT: poss N 17. If something comes your way, you get it or receive it. Take advantage of the opportunities coming your way in a couple of months... If I run into anything that might interest you, I’ll send it your way. N-SING: poss N 18. If someone or something is in the way, they prevent you from moving forward or seeing clearly. ‘You’re standing in the way,’ she said. ‘Would you mind moving aside’... Get out of my way! N-SING: the/poss N, in/out of N 19. You use way in expressions such as the right way up and the other way around to refer to one of two or more possible positions or arrangements that something can have. The flag was held the wrong way up by some spectators... It’s important to fit it the right way round. N-SING: with supp 20. You can use way to emphasize, for example, that something is a great distance away or is very much below or above a particular level or amount. Way down in the valley to the west is the town of Freiburg... These exam results are way above average... ADV: ADV adv/prep c darkgreen]emphasis 21. If you split something a number of ways, you divide it into a number of different parts or quantities, usually fairly equal in size. The region was split three ways, between Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria... Splitting the price six ways had still cost them each a bundle. N-PLURAL: num N • Way is also a combining form. ...a simple three-way division. COMB in ADJ: ADJ n 22. Way is used in expressions such as a long way, a little way, and quite a way, to say how far away something is or how far you have travelled. Some of them live in places quite a long way from here... A little way further down the lane we passed the driveway to a house... N-SING: a N, usu supp N 23. Way is used in expressions such as a long way, a little way, and quite a way, to say how far away in time something is. Success is still a long way off... August is still an awfully long way away. N-SING: a N, usu supp N 24. You use way in expressions such as all the way, most of the way and half the way to refer to the extent to which an action has been completed. He had unscrewed the caps most of the way... When was the last time you listened to an album all the way through? N-SING: predet/quant the N 25. You use all the way to emphasize how long a distance is. He had to walk all the way home... PHRASE: usu PHR after v, oft PHR adv/prep c darkgreen]emphasis 26. You can use all the way to emphasize that your remark applies to every part of a situation, activity, or period of time. Having started a revolution we must go all the way... PHRASE: PHR after v c darkgreen]emphasis 27. If someone says that you can’t have it both ways, they are telling you that you have to choose between two things and cannot do or have them both. Countries cannot have it both ways: the cost of a cleaner environment may sometimes be fewer jobs in dirty industries... PHRASE: V inflects 28. You say by the way when you add something to what you are saying, especially something that you have just thought of. (SPOKEN) The name Latifah, by the way, means ‘delicate’... By the way, how did your seminar go? = incidentally PHRASE: PHR with cl 29. You use by way of when you are explaining the purpose of something that you have said or are about to say. For example, if you say something by way of an introduction, you say it as an introduction. ‘I get very superstitious about things like that,’ she said by way of explanation. PREP-PHRASE: PREP n 30. If someone changes their ways or mends their ways, they permanently improve their behaviour or their way of doing something. What can be done to encourage convicted offenders to change their ways? = reform PHRASE: V inflects 31. If you clear the way, open the way, or prepare the way for something, you create an opportunity for it to happen. The talks are meant to clear the way for formal negotiations on a new constitution... The decision could open the way for other children to sue their parents. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR for n 32. If you say that someone takes the easy way out, you disapprove of them because they do what is easiest for them in a difficult situation, rather than dealing with it properly. It is the easy way out to blame others for our failure. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR c darkgreen]disapproval 33. You use either way in order to introduce a statement which is true in each of the two possible or alternative cases that you have just mentioned. The sea may rise or the land may fall; either way the sand dunes will be gone in a short time. PHRASE: PHR with cl 34. If you say that a particular type of action or development is the way forward, you approve of it because it is likely to lead to success. ...people who genuinely believe that anarchy is the way forward... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR c darkgreen]approval 35. If someone gets their way or has their way, nobody stops them doing what they want to do. You can also say that someone gets their own way or has their own way. She is very good at using her charm to get her way. PHRASE: V inflects 36. If one thing gives way to another, the first thing is replaced by the second. First he had been numb. Then the numbness gave way to anger... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 37. If an object that is supporting something gives way, it breaks or collapses, so that it can no longer support that thing. The hook in the ceiling had given way and the lamp had fallen blazing on to the table. PHRASE: V inflects 38. If you give way to someone or something that you have been resisting, you stop resisting and allow yourself to be persuaded or controlled by them. (WRITTEN) It seems the President has given way to pressure from the hardliners... = give in, yield PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to n 39. If a moving person, a vehicle, or its driver gives way, they slow down or stop in order to allow other people or vehicles to pass in front of them. (BRIT; in AM, use yield) Give way to traffic coming from the left. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR to n 40. If you say that someone or something has a way of doing a particular thing, you mean that they often do it. Bosses have a way of always finding out about such things. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing 41. If you say that a person has a way with something or someone, you mean that that person seems to have a natural skill or instinct for dealing with them. (mainly SPOKEN) Constance doesn’t have a way with words like you do... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n c darkgreen]approval 42. You use in no way or not in any way to emphasize that a statement is not at all true. A spokesman insisted the two events were ‘in no way related’... PHRASE c darkgreen]emphasis 43. If you say that something is true in a way, you mean that although it is not completely true, it is true to a limited extent or in certain respects. You use in a way to reduce the force of a statement. In a way, I suppose I’m frightened of failing... It made things very unpleasant in a way. PHRASE: PHR with cl c darkgreen]vagueness 44. If you say that someone gets in the way or is in the way, you are annoyed because their presence or their actions stop you doing something properly. ‘We wouldn’t get in the way,’ Suzanne promised. ‘We’d just stand quietly in a corner.’ PHRASE: V inflects 45. To get in the way of something means to make it difficult for it to happen, continue, or be appreciated properly. She had a job which never got in the way of her leisure interests. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n 46. If you know your way around a particular subject, system, or job, or if you know your way about it, you know all the procedures and facts about it. He knows his way around the intricate maze of European law... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 47. If you lead the way along a particular route, you go along it in front of someone in order to show them where to go. She grabbed his suitcase and led the way. PHRASE: V inflects 48. If a person or group leads the way in a particular activity, they are the first person or group to do it or they make the most new developments in it. Sony has also led the way in shrinking the size of compact-disc players. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR in -ing/n 49. If you say that someone or something has come a long way, you mean that they have developed, progressed, or become very successful. He has come a long way since the days he could only afford one meal a day. PHRASE: have inflects, oft PHR since n 50. You can use by a long way to emphasize that something is, for example, much better, worse, or bigger than any other thing of that kind. It was, by a long way, the worst meeting I have ever attended... PHRASE: PHR with cl, compar/superl PHR c darkgreen]emphasis 51. If you say that something is a long way from being true, you are emphasizing that it is definitely not true. She is a long way from being the richest person in Britain... PHRASE: v-link PHR n/-ing c darkgreen]emphasis 52. If you say that something goes a long way towards doing a particular thing, you mean that it is an important factor in achieving that thing. Although by no means a cure, it goes a long way towards making the patient’s life more tolerable. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR towards/to -ing/n 53. If you say that someone has lost their way, you are criticizing them because they do not have any good ideas any more, or seem to have become unsure about what to do. Why has the White House lost its way on tax and budget policy? PHRASE: V inflects c darkgreen]disapproval 54. When you make your way somewhere, you walk or travel there. He made his way home at last. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR prep/adv 55. If one person or thing makes way for another, the first is replaced by the second. He said he was prepared to make way for younger people in the party... PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR for n 56. If you say there’s no way that something will happen, you are emphasizing that you think it will definitely not happen. There was absolutely no way that we were going to be able to retrieve it. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR that c darkgreen]emphasis 57. You can say no way as an emphatic way of saying no. (INFORMAL) Mike, no way am I playing cards with you for money... PHRASE c darkgreen]emphasis 58. You use in the way of or by way of in order to specify the kind of thing you are talking about. Latvia is a country without much in the way of natural resources... Meetings held today produced little in the way of an agreement... The man with whom she maintains a relationship provides nothing by way of support. PHRASE: PHR n, usu amount/n PHR n 59. If you are on your way, you have started your journey somewhere. He has been allowed to leave the country and is on his way to Britain... By sunrise tomorrow we’ll be on our way. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep/adv 60. If something happens on the way or along the way, it happens during the course of a particular event or process. You may have to learn a few new skills along the way. PHRASE 61. If you are on your way or well on your way to something, you have made so much progress that you are almost certain to achieve that thing. I am now out of hospital and well on the way to recovery. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR to n/-ing 62. If something is on the way, it will arrive soon. The forecasters say more snow is on the way... She is married with twin sons and a third child on the way. PHRASE: v-link PHR, with/have n PHR 63. You can use one way or another or one way or the other when you want to say that something definitely happens, but without giving any details about how it happens. You know pretty well everyone here, one way or the other. PHRASE: PHR after v, PHR with cl c darkgreen]vagueness 64. You use one way or the other or one way or another to refer to two possible decisions or conclusions that have previously been mentioned, without stating which one is reached or preferred. We’ve got to make our decision one way or the other... I didn’t really care one way or another. PHRASE: PHR after v 65. You use the other way around or the other way round to refer to the opposite of what you have just said. You’d think you were the one who did me the favor, and not the other way around. PHRASE 66. If something or someone is on the way out or on their way out, they are likely to disappear or to be replaced very soon. There are encouraging signs that cold war attitudes are on the way out... PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 67. If you go out of your way to do something, for example to help someone, you make a special effort to do it. He was very kind to me and seemed to go out of his way to help me. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf 68. If you keep out of someone’s way or stay out of their way, you avoid them or do not get involved with them. I’d kept out of his way as much as I could... He warned the army to stay out of the way of the relief effort. PHRASE: V inflects 69. When something is out of the way, it has finished or you have dealt with it, so that it is no longer a problem or needs no more time spent on it. The plan has to remain confidential at least until the local elections are out of the way... PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v 70. If you go your own way, you do what you want rather than what everyone else does or expects. In school I was a loner. I went my own way. PHRASE: V inflects 71. You use in the same way to introduce a situation that you are comparing with one that you have just mentioned, because there is a strong similarity between them. There is no reason why a gifted aircraft designer should also be a capable pilot. In the same way, a brilliant pilot can be a menace behind the wheel of a car. = likewise PHRASE: PHR with cl 72. You can use that way and this way to refer to a statement or comment that you have just made. Some of us have habits few people know about and we keep it this way... We have a beautiful city and we pray it stays that way... PHRASE: PHR after v, adj PHR 73. You can use that way or this way to refer to an action or situation that you have just mentioned, when you go on to mention the likely consequence or effect of it. Keep the soil moist. That way, the seedling will flourish... PHRASE: PHR with cl 74. If an activity or plan is under way, it has begun and is now taking place. A full-scale security operation is now under way... The court case got under way last autumn. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 75. Every which way and any which way are used to emphasize that something happens, or might happen, in a lot of different ways, or using a lot of different methods. (AM; also BRIT INFORMAL) He re-ran the experiment every which way he could... PHRASE: PHR after v, oft PHR cl c darkgreen]emphasis 76. Every which way is used to emphasize that things move in a lot of different directions or are arranged in a lot of different positions. (AM; also BRIT INFORMAL) ...cars parked every which way. PHRASE: PHR after v c darkgreen]emphasis 77. to see the error of your ways: see error