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Collocations for «way»Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word «way» in context. WordReference English Collocations © 2023 wayⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK. n
n as adj
adv
‘way‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): |
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way noun
1 method/style
ADJ. convenient, easy, effective, efficient, good, ideal, practical, quick, useful The best way to open it is with pliers. | appropriate, proper, right | wrong | normal | traditional | obvious | important The most important way to stop accidental drownings is by education. | subtle There is no subtle way to tell someone that you no longer want them. | possible They’ve explored every possible way of dealing with the problem. | alternative, different | similar | new | old | funny, mysterious, odd, strange God works in mysterious ways. | hard He learned about the dangers of drugs the hard way. | friendly | winning The team got back to their winning ways with a 2?1 victory.
QUANT. number There are a number of ways to overcome this problem.
VERB + WAY have Fate has a way of changing the best of plans. | get into, get out of The women had got into the way of going up on the deck every evening. | explore, look at to look at ways of improving language teaching | develop, devise, find | change, mend Your father is unlikely to change his ways now. | be set in Grandma is so set in her ways.
PREP. in a/the ~ Can I help you in any way?
PHRASES in a big way He then started spending money in a big way. | in every way They’re different in every way. | in more ways than one They’re alike in more ways than one. | in its/your own way He was attractive in his own way. | a kind/sort of way He was a handsome man in a sinister sort of way. | (in) one way or another Most people are creative in one way or another. | a way of life the beliefs and practices of the Hindu way of life | ways and means Newspapers have ways and means of getting hold of secret information.
2 route/road
ADJ. best, quickest, right, shortest | wrong | own, separate (figurative) He’s always gone his own way when it comes to design. | covered We walked along the covered way to the science building.
VERB + WAY go I’m going your way, so we can walk together.
(figurative) When we finished school, we all went our separate ways. | go out of (figurative) She went out of her way to help them. | keep/stay out of (figurative) Let’s keep out of her way while she’s in such a bad mood. | bar, block, get in, stand in A fallen tree blocked the way.
(figurative) He wanted to go to university and would let nothing stand in his way. | clear, pave, prepare, smooth (all figurative) The withdrawal of troops should clear the way for a peace settlement. | give, make (= allow sb/sth to go first or take your place) Give way to traffic already on the roundabout. Make way for the Lord Mayor! Tropical forest is felled to make way for grassland.
(figurative) The storm gave way to bright sunshine. | edge, feel, inch, make, push, thread, weave, wend, wind, work He edged his way along the wall. The river wound its way through the valley. | cut, elbow, fight, force, hack, pick, shoulder We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks.
(figurative) She fought her way up to the top of the company. | bluff, talk, trick (figurative) She bluffed her way through the exam. | lose She lost her way in the fog.
(figurative) This project seems to have lost its way. | find He couldn’t find a way through the bracken.
(figurative) We will eventually find a way out of the crisis. | ask (sb) She asked him the way to the station. | tell sb | know Do you know the way? | come (figurative) Have any interesting articles come your way recently?
PREP. along the ~ We saw a dreadful accident along the way. | in the/your ~ There were several rocks in the way. | out of the/your ~ Could you please get those boxes out of my way? | on the/your ~ We stopped for a snack on the way here. | out of the/your ~ The supermarket is a bit out of my way. | ~ across The way across the fields is longer but pleasanter. | ~ from, ~ out of Can you tell me the way out of here? | ~ through The way through the woods is quicker. | ~ to the easiest way from my house to yours
PHRASES take the easy way out He took the easy way out and paid someone to write the article for him. | the way back/down/forward/here/home/in/out/over/there/up We stopped for a drink on the way home.
3 direction/position
ADJ. both Look both ways before crossing the road. | right | wrong They’ve gone the wrong way.
VERB + WAY go Which way did she go? | lead, point, show He showed us the way. | walk Walk this way, please. | look He looked my way, but didn’t seem to recognize me.
PHRASES the … way round/up Try it the other way round. Which way up does this box go?
4 distance in space/time
ADJ. long | little, short
VERB + WAY come, go We had to go a long way before we found a telephone box. (figurative) The study of genes has come a long way in recent years.
PREP. ~ from, ~ to It’s quite a way from my house to the shops.
PHRASES all the way This bus doesn’t go all the way so you’ll have to change. | quite a/some way, a … way ahead/away/off Your birthday is still some way off.
way
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only way
He says it’s the only way they can survive.
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way of life
But it’s a way of life which Julie admits can bring stress and strain to a partnership.
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way down
Can’t be doing with that way down there.
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best way
Naturally, the best way of finding this out is to ask them.
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way back
We passed that way back.
-
way out
Find your way out.
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long way
But Titan was a long way off.
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way to get
‘The only way to get to the bottom of it is to confront the chairman.’
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way of doing
This seems to be a very good way of doing things.
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under way
Then we got under way.
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way along
She picked up her suitcase and made her way along the aisle, pausing to inspect the damage to her legs.
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way things
Not the way things are
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way i
Some 150,000 homes changed hands in this way in 1988.
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way men
These are, then, two ways in which women may, and probably do, see morality in a different light from the way men typically see it.
Used with adjectives:
«Do you have a good way to explain this?«
(good, practical, effective, better)
«That is the right way to do it.«
(right, proper, correct, normal, traditional, obvious, hard, easiest)
«He does things a different way.«
(different, strange, odd, funny)
«This is the new way to send messages.«
(new, latest, current)
«That is the old way to send messages.«
(old, out-dated, old-fashioned)
«I need the quickest way to the hospital.«
(quickest, fastest, shortest)
«You are going the wrong way.«
(wrong, same)
«She wants to do everything her own way.«
(own)
Used with verbs:
«He has his way of doing things.«
(has)
«Please get out of the way.«
(get, move)
«They are looking at different ways to improve their work.«
(be + looking at, be + exploring, be + seeking)
«We found a faster way to work.«
(found, developed, discovered, figured out, identified, chose)
«We created a new way of selling their product.«
(created, invented)
«They stood in his way.«
(stood in, got in, blocked)
«He will show them the way to the library.«
(show, lead)
«Please walk this way.«
(walk, go)
«She fought her way to the front of the line.«
(fought, forced, shoved)
«She knows the way home.«
(knows, lost, found)
Used with prepositions:
«He saw a dead animal along the way to school.«
(along, on)
«They were in the way.«
(in)
«Are you on the way?«
(on)
«Please do not go out of your way.«
(out of)
Today, let’s look at some English idiomatic expressions with WAY.
We usually use WAY when talking about direction.
- Which way is out?
- How can I find the way?
- Can you show me the way to the hotel or city centre?
However, the word WAY can be used in other ways in English!!
Here are some idiomatic expressions with WAY and common phrases.
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Idiomatic Expressions with Way
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in a bad way
Where somebody is sick or involved in an accident and injured the relatives will be anxious to understand how they are. Sometimes the news is not so good.
Example:
The doctor said he is in a bad way and it may be a few days before they know how sick he really is.
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all the way
We use it when we want to show support or understanding, it means that we completely support someone.
Example:
If you want to bring it up with Carol, I’m with you all the way.
to get his/her way
This concerns children usually but not always.
It means .to do what you want or to get what you want
Example:
Pauls’s daughter is spoilt. Every time she wants something she begins to shout. She is always getting her own way.
to be/get under way
to start something; to make progress with something
Examples:
All three defendants were seated in a thick glass box as the trial got under way.
Everyone was looking for a greater opportunity as the century got under way.
12 English expressions with way
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on the way out
going out of fashion, not in demand anymore
Example:
Skinny jeans are on the way out.
in a roundabout way
When someone does not tell you in a straightforward or direct way or takes a long time to get to the point, we can say that they have a roundabout way of saying things.
Or when something is not straightforward and simple
Example:
You can add new fonts to your mobile phone, but you have to do it in a roundabout way.
Don’t give up, scroll down for 6 more expressions with Way.
12 English expressions with way
to give way on something
to stop resisting and to agree to do what someone else wants
Usually, this refers to someone who might be a little stubborn and never compromises or accepts he/she is wrong. We can use it in a negative and in a positive way.
Example:
Michael likes to discuss and argue. He is good at debating but he is not always right in his views. However, even when he is wrong he will not give way on something and accept he is incorrect.
to change your way
to stop behaving in a certain way, to stop doing what we are doing and improve our attitude or manners
Example:
Moving abroad will teach you lessons and change your way of thinking.
to have a way with somebody
to have a talent for or skill in dealing with somebody
Examples:
Tracey has a way with animals, and our dog loves her!
Adam has a way with people, jokes with his customer and is almost always in good humour.
where there’s a will, there’s a way
if someone wants something very much, they will always find a way to make it possible. You can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Example:
Sarah really wants to learn how to draw, but she hasn’t got enough time to do it.
Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’m sure she’ll make time.
to have it both ways
you have to choose something, you can’t have advantages from two contradictory things at the same time
Example:
But he can’t have it both ways. He can’t live with her and with you. He needs to decide.
that’s the way the cookie crumbles
it is what it is; something undesirable has happened, and things must be accepted the way they are
Example:
Sorry to hear that Manchester United didn’t get into Champions League next season. But hat’s the way the cookie crumbles.
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That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles meaning
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