- way
- noun1 method/styleADJECTIVE▪ convenient, easy, effective, efficient, good, ideal, practical, quick, simple, useful▪
The best way to open it is with pliers.
▪ appropriate, proper, right▪ wrong▪ normal▪ traditional▪ obvious▪ sure-fire▪a sure-fire way to get him to do whatever I want
▪ 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.
▪ clever, ingenious▪I would think of some clever way to get myself out of this situation.
▪ possible▪They've explored every possible way of dealing with the problem.
▪ alternative, different▪ myriad, several, various▪Students develop those skills in myriad ways.
▪ same, similar▪ unique▪a unique way of settling disputes
▪ new▪ old▪ old-fashioned▪We did it the old-fashioned way.
▪ funny, mysterious, odd, strange▪God works in mysterious ways.
▪ meaningful▪They have never contributed in any meaningful way to our civilization.
▪ hard▪He learned about the dangers of drugs the hard way.
▪ friendly▪ winning (often figurative)▪The team got back to their winning ways with a 2–1 victory.
▪She isn't known for her winning ways (= for being likeable).
▪ creative, innovative▪We are searching for innovative and creative ways to solve the many problems facing us.
▪ cost-effective▪a cost-effective way to boost performance
… OF WAYS▪ number▪There are a number of ways to overcome this problem.
VERB + WAY▪ have▪Fate has a way of changing the best of plans.
▪ explore, look at, seek▪to look at ways of improving language teaching
▪ develop, devise, discover, figure out (esp. AmE), find, identify▪They believe he'll figure out a way to make it work.
▪ create, invent▪Artists began to invent new ways of painting.
▪ change, mend▪Your father is unlikely to change his ways now.
▪ choose▪I chose a different way of collecting data.
▪ react▪We expect computers to react a certain way, in certain situations.
▪ be set in▪Grandma is so set in her ways.
PREPOSITION▪ in a/the way▪Can I help you in any way?
PHRASES▪ in a certain way▪In a certain way, all of that is true.
▪ 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.
▪ in some ways▪It's more interesting, in some ways, to watch what's going on behind the scenes here.
▪ a … kind of way, a … sort of way▪He was a handsome man in a sinister sort of way.
▪ one way or another▪One way or another, I'm going to make it.
▪ in one way or another▪Most people are creative in one way or another.
▪ that's one way of putting it▪‘She has a slightly abrasive manner.’ ‘Well, that's one way of putting it!’
▪ put another way▪Do you remember? Or, put another way, do you know?
▪ the way things are, the way things are going▪She is content with the way things are.
▪The way things are going, I think that's achievable.
▪ 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/roadADJECTIVE▪ best, quickest, right, shortest▪ wrong▪ own, separate (figurative)▪He's always gone his own way when it comes to design.
▪ roundabout▪This is a roundabout way of saying that nothing has been accomplished.
VERB + WAY▪ go▪I'm going your way, so we can walk together.
▪When we finished school, we all went our separate ways. (figurative)
▪ part▪We parted ways once we went off to college.
▪ go out of (figurative)▪She went out of her way to help them.
▪ keep out of, stay out of (both 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.
▪He wanted to go to college and would let nothing stand in his way. (figurative)
▪ 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. (BrE)
▪The storm gave way to bright sunshine. (figurative)
▪Make way for the guests!
▪Tropical forest is felled to make way for grassland.
▪ edge, feel, grope, inch, make, push, thread, weave, wend, wind, work▪He edged his way along the wall.
▪The river wound its way through the valley.
▪ claw, cut, elbow, fight, force, hack, pick, shoulder, shove▪She fought her way up to the top of the company. (figurative)
▪We picked our way carefully over the jagged rocks.
▪ bluff, talk, trick (figurative)▪She bluffed her way through the exam.
▪ weasel, worm▪He had somehow wormed his way into her affections.
▪ snake▪The procession snaked its way through the town.
▪ lose▪She lost her way in the fog.
▪This project seems to have lost its way. (figurative)
▪ find▪He couldn't find a way through the bracken.
▪We will eventually find a way out of the crisis. (figurative)
▪ manoeuvre/maneuver, navigate▪He had to navigate his way through the city's one-way streets.
▪ 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?
PREPOSITION▪ along the way▪We saw a dreadful accident along the way.
▪ in the/your way▪There were several rocks in the way.
▪ out of the/your way▪Could you please get those boxes out of my way?
▪ on the/your way▪We stopped for a snack on the way here.
▪ out of the/your way▪The library is slightly out of my way.
▪ way across▪The way across the fields is longer but pleasanter.
▪ way from▪the quickest way from my Edinburgh to Glasgow
▪ way out of▪Can you tell me the way out of here?
▪ way through▪The way through the woods is quicker.
▪ way 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, the way forward▪On the way back, he invited me to his home for drinks.
▪ the way down, the way up▪ the way here, the way over, the way there▪ the way home▪We stopped for a drink on the way home.
▪ the way in, the way out▪ the way north, south, etc.▪We didn't stop on the way north.
▪ on your merry way▪Then he went off on his merry way.
3 direction/positionADJECTIVE▪ both▪Look both ways before crossing the road.
▪ opposite▪I went the opposite way.
▪ right▪ wrong▪They've gone the wrong way.
VERB + WAY▪ go▪Which way did she go?
▪ lead, point, show▪He showed us the way.
▪ head▪There's a huge storm heading this way.
▪ walk▪Walk this way, please.
▪ look▪He looked my way, but didn't seem to recognize me.
PHRASES▪ the … way around, the … way round (esp. BrE)▪Try it the other way around.
▪ the … way up▪Which way up does this box go?
▪ way to go! (used to express approval) (informal, esp. AmE)▪Way to go! I wish I could do that!
4 distance in space/timeADJECTIVE▪ long▪ little, shortVERB + WAY▪ come, go▪We had to go a long way before we found a place to eat.
▪The study of genes has come a long way in recent years. (figurative)
PREPOSITION▪ way from, way to▪It's quite a way from my house to the station.
PHRASES▪ all the way▪This bus doesn't go all the way so you'll have to change.
▪ the whole way (AmE)▪the whole way to Arizona
▪ the whole way through▪I watched the movie the whole way through.
▪ quite a way, some way▪It's quite a way to walk to the station.
▪ a … way ahead, a … way away, a … way off▪Your birthday is still some way off.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
