give ground

give ground (third-person singular simple present gives ground, present participle giving ground, simple past gave ground, past participle given ground)

1. To retreat.
   • 1959, Harold G. (Hack) Miller, “Rod and gun”, in Hearings […] , Washington: United States Government Printing Office, page 101:

     Those male moose at the southeast arm didn't frighten very much when we docked to fly-fish one day. One was so scared of us he just walked toward us and snorted. We gave ground.

2. (figurative) To yield an advantage.

• cede the field
• turn tail

• gain ground

• lose ground

• “give ground”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.