n.
path, route
1) to blaze, clear, pave, prepare; smoothe the way for (to pave the way for reform)
2) to take the (easy) way (out of a difficult situation)
3) to lead; point, show the way
4) to edge; elbow; fight; force; hack; jostle; make; muscle; push; shove; squeeze; thread; tunnel; wedge; work one's way through; to (to elbow one's way through a crowd; the battalion fought its way through enemy lines to the coast; he pushed his way through the mob; to shove one's way through the revelers; we made our way to the door; to tunnel one's way to freedom)
5) to twist; wend, wind one's way (the river winds its way to the sea)
6) to find one's way
7) to worm one's way (into smb.'s confidence)
8) to know the way to (do you know the way to the station?)
9) to lose one's way
10) (BE) a permanent way ('a railroad track')
11) the way from; to (he kept chattering all the way from our house to the airport)
12) the way into, to (the way into the park; can you show me the way to the station?)
13) the way out of (the way out of the city; show me the way out of this building; there is no easy way out of this mess)
14) on the way (a letter is on the way; she is on her way to the airport)
15) (misc.) to work one's way through college; out of harm's way; to make one's way in life; to see one's way clear to do smt.; they went their separate ways; to come to a parting of the ways; by way of ('via'); to go the way of all flesh ('to be mortal'); to know one's way around ('to be familiar with procedures')
room for movement
16) to make way for
17) in the way (to be/stand in the way; to get in smb.'s way)
18) out of the way (to get out of the way)
progress
19) under way (an investigation is under way)
distance
20) to come; go a long way
direction
21) this way; that way; the other way (she went that way; please step this way; they went the other way)
aspect, respect
22) in a certain way (in every way; in no way; in more ways than one)
manner, method
23) to find a way (they found a way to spend less money on electricity)
24) the proper, right; wrong way
25) charming, winsome ways
26) that; this way (do it this way)
27) the way to + inf. (show me the way to work this washing machine; that's the way to do it; there is no easy way to learn a new language)
28) in a certain way (in her own way; in such a way that...; in a small way)
29) (misc.) to my way of thinking; to mend one's ways; to fall into evil ways
purpose
30) by way of (by way of apology; by way of example; by way of illustration)
effective manner
31) to have a way with (she has a way with children)
goal
32) to get, have one's way (she always gets her way)
misc.
33) to make one's way in the world; to get under way ('to start out'); in a way ('to some degree'); to go out of one's way ('to make a special effort'); to give way ('to collapse'); to pay one's own way ('to pay for oneself'); to be in the family way ('to be pregnant'); by the way ('incidentally'); on the way out ('becoming obsolescent'); there are no two ways about it ('it is definitely true'); out our way ('where we live'); we are in a fair way to get our new library ('it appears as if we will get our new library'); this compromise goes a long way towards resolving our differences; the way to smb.'s heart
USAGE NOTE: Constructions such as to hack one's way through the jungle cannot be passivized. Compare they hacked a path through the jungle--a path was hacked (by them) through the jungle.