Differences between “give” and “give way ”

Question

What's the difference between give and give way. I'll start with what I know so far, and what I think to be the case, please set me straight where you think I'm wrong.

Dictionary definitions

Give= yield or give way to pressure --> "the heavy door didn't give until the fifth push"

Give way=if something gives way, it breaks or falls down because there is too much weight or pressure on it

So "give way" is a direct synonym, but unlike "give" ( meaning "to yield"), it takes ( or may not take) an object --> " The door didn't give way / didn't give way to pressure until the fifth push"

But , it has several more meanings, derived from this one meaning, where "give" alone can't replace it. For instance:

-To be followed, succeeded, or replaced by --> ‘Alan's discomfort gave way to anger’ --> In some areas, modern intensive farming is giving way to the re-introduction of traditional methods

(To me, it seems like it implies a certain reluctance (literal or metaphorical) from the party that "yields", and thus the one that replaces the other tends to be more powerful, "forcing" the other aside. In other words - and I'll take an example from above- modern intensive farming holds out as much as possible, but eventually caves in, and farmers stop holding onto it, and bring back traditional methods, having to admit for instance, that they work better or whatever. So to me there's a sense of "overpowering" or " overwhelming", or something along those lines.

-To give precedence to other road users (yield in AE)

Are there any nuances I should be aware of?

Answer 1

The comments are as usual the best advice.

To give is, as expected, to offer up. In the case of the door it means its offering up in response to the force against it, particularly to the satisfaction of those pushing on it. it would not give despite their efforts to make it do so. To give way is to give up or yield entirely, catastrophically.

Usage such as ‘Alan's discomfort gave way to anger’ are idiomatic in telling you about Alan's efforts and the writer's perception of the outcome. Alan may have had no discomfort whatsoever and been angry for other reasons. I believe what the resisting object gives way to may be well understood without taking an object.