back down vs give way

back down

verb
  • To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously has or has planned to. 

  • To withdraw from a commitment or position. 

give way

verb
  • To allow another person to intervene to make a point or ask a question whilst one is delivering a speech. 

  • To begin rowing. 

  • To yield to persistent persuasion. 

  • To be followed, succeeded, or replaced by. 

  • To collapse or break under physical stresses. 

  • To give precedence to other road users. 

  • To allow the expression of (a pent-up emotion, grief, etc.). 

How often have the words back down and give way occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )