Definition of give way

• move in order to make room for someone for something; "The park gave way to a supermarket"; "`Move over, he told the crowd"
• break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice"
• end resistance, as under pressure or force; "The door yielded to repeated blows with a battering ram"