make way

phrase

Synonyms of make waynext
1
: to give room for passing, entering, or occupying
… many of the old villas were being torn down to make way for high rises …—William Murray
2
: to make progress

Examples of make way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Commissioners recently tasked their historic preservation board with recommending ways to improve preservation efforts, as iconic homes are torn down to make way for new ones in a city where vacant land is scarce. — Brian Bell, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 His Administration demolished the White House’s East Wing to make way for a ballroom costing hundreds of millions of dollars—a project facing its own legal challenges. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 26 Aug. 2026 Multiple buildings that housed the Capital Grille, a Bank of America branch, a Blanc Burgers + Bottles restaurant and part of the Cinemark Palace at the Plaza were demolished in 2019 to make way. — Eric Adler august 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 The latter shuttered in April to make way for a new development, ending its 13-year run in SouthPark, CharlotteFive previously reported. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for make way

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of make way was in the 12th century

Rhymes for make way

See All Rhymes for make way

Browse Nearby Words

make waves
make way
makeweight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Make way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20way. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on make way

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for make way

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All