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.
You can also check other dicts: way (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition