see one's way clear to

English

Alternative forms

• see the way clear to
• see a way clear to

Pronunciation

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Verb

see one's way clear to (third-person singular simple present sees one's way clear to, present participle seeing one's way clear to, simple past saw one's way clear to, past participle seen one's way clear to)

1. (idiomatic) To manage to commit oneself to (a decision or course of action).
   • 1884, Charles Reade, chapter 17, in A Perilous Secret:

     [N]othing but revenge was on the cards, and he could not see his way clear to that.

   • 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Missy's Room”, in Short Stories: 1907-1908:

     [T]hey were good, sincere women who would have taken her in if they could, but they could not see their way clear to do so.

   • 1988 November 27, Helene van Damm, “Out of the kitchen, into the cabinet”, in New York Times, retrieved 3 January 2018:

     Until the middle of December, Mike Deaver kept saying that he wasn't going to join the Administration, but he eventually saw his way clear to accepting the third most powerful post in the White House, that of deputy chief of staff.

   • 2017 June 16, Jules Witcover, “Trump is getting desperate to quash Russia probe”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 3 January 2018:

     Mr. Comey specified that Mr. Trump at a one-on-one dinner said he hoped Mr. Comey could see his way clear to let go of the investigation of National Security Adviser Mike Flynn.