[Origin: bef. 900; ME < ON gefa (cf. Dan give); r. ME yeven, yiven, OE gefan, giefan; c. D geven, G geben, Goth giban]
—Related forms
giv·a·ble, give·a·ble, adjective, noun
giv·ee, noun
giver, noun
—Synonyms 1. offer, vouchsafe, impart, accord, furnish, provide, supply, donate, contribute. Give,confer,grant,present may mean that something concrete or abstract is bestowed on one person by another. Give is the general word: to give someone a book, permission, etc. Confer usually means to give an honor or a favor; it implies courteous and gracious giving: to confer a degree. Grant is limited to the idea of acceding to a request; it may apply to the bestowal of privileges, or the fulfillment of an expressed wish: to grant a charter, a prayer, permission, etc. Present, a more formal word than give, usually implies a certain ceremony in the giving: to present a citation to a regiment. 18. cede, yield.
To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.
To place in the hands of; pass: Give me the scissors.
To deliver in exchange or recompense; pay: gave five dollars for the book.
To let go for a price; sell: gave the used car away for two thousand dollars.
To administer: give him some cough medicine.
To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.
To inflict as punishment: gave the child a spanking; was given life imprisonment for the crime.
Law To accord by verdict: A decision was given for the plaintiff.
To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
To allot as a portion or share.
To bestow (a name, for example).
To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
To award as due: gave us first prize.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To administer: give him some cough medicine.
To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.
To inflict as punishment: gave the child a spanking; was given life imprisonment for the crime.
Law To accord by verdict: A decision was given for the plaintiff.
To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
To allot as a portion or share.
To bestow (a name, for example).
To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
To award as due: gave us first prize.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
To allot as a portion or share.
To bestow (a name, for example).
To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
To award as due: gave us first prize.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
To allot as a portion or share.
To bestow (a name, for example).
To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
To award as due: gave us first prize.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To allot as a portion or share.
To bestow (a name, for example).
To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
To award as due: gave us first prize.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To emit or utter: gave a groan; gave a muted response.
To submit for consideration, acceptance, or use: give an opinion; give an excuse.
To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To perform for an audience: give a recital.
To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
To propose as a toast.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
To permit one to have or take: gave us an hour to finish.
To take an interest to the extent of: "My dear, I don't give a damn"(Margaret Mitchell).
v.
intr.
To make gifts or donations: gives generously to charity.
To yield to physical force.
To collapse from force or pressure: The roof gave under the weight of the snow.
To yield to change: Both sides will have to give on some issues.
To afford access or a view; open: The doors give onto a terrace.
Slang To be in progress; happen: What gives?
n.
Capacity or inclination to yield under pressure.
The quality or condition of resilience; springiness: "Fruits that have some give ... will have more juice than hard ones"(Elizabeth Schneider).
To make a gift of.
To present (a bride) to the bridegroom at a wedding ceremony.
To reveal or make known, often accidentally.
To betray.
To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.
To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.
To cease opposition; yield.
To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.
To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.
To distribute: gave out the surplus food.
To stop functioning; fail.
To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out.
To hand over; entrust.
To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.
To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To cause an activity to stop: ordered the combatants to give over.
To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To part with; relinquish: gave up the apartment; gave up all hope.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To admit defeat.
To abandon what one is doing or planning to do: gave up on writing the novel.
Phrasal Verb(s): give away
To make a gift of.
To present (a bride) to the bridegroom at a wedding ceremony.
To reveal or make known, often accidentally.
To betray.
give back
To return: gave me back my book. give in
To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.
To cease opposition; yield.
give of
To devote or contribute: She really gave of her time to help. They give of themselves to improve the quality of education. give off
To send forth; emit: chemical changes that give off energy. give out
To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.
To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.
To distribute: gave out the surplus food.
To stop functioning; fail.
To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out.
give over
To hand over; entrust.
To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.
To cause an activity to stop: ordered the combatants to give over.
give up
To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To part with; relinquish: gave up the apartment; gave up all hope.
To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
To admit defeat.
To abandon what one is doing or planning to do: gave up on writing the novel.
Idiom(s):
give a good account of (oneself)
To behave or perform creditably.
Idiom(s):
give birth to
To bear as offspring.
To be the origin of: a hobby that gave birth to a successful business.
Idiom(s):
give ground
To yield to a more powerful force; retreat.
Idiom(s):
give it to Informal
To punish or reprimand severely: My parents really gave it to me for coming in late.
Idiom(s):
give or take
Plus or minus a small specified amount: The chalet is close to the road, give or take a few hundred yards.
Idiom(s):
give rise to
To be the cause or origin of; bring about.
Idiom(s):
give (someone) a hard time
To make life difficult for; harass.
To make fun of; tease.
Idiom(s):
give (someone) the eye
To look at admiringly or invitingly.
Idiom(s):
give the lie to
To show to be inaccurate or untrue.
To accuse of lying.
Idiom(s):
give up the ghost
To cease living or functioning; die.
Idiom(s):
give way
To retreat or withdraw.
To yield the right of way: gave way to an oncoming car.
To relinquish ascendancy or position: as day gives way slowly to night.
To collapse from or as if from physical pressure: The ladder gave way.
To yield to urging or demand; give in.
To collapse from or as if from physical pressure: The ladder gave way.
To yield to urging or demand; give in.
To abandon oneself: give way to hysteria.
[Middle English given, from Old English giefan and Old Norse gefa; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.]
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime; "you've forfeited your right to name your successor"; "forfeited property" [syn: forfeit] [ant: arrogate]
2.
give up with the intent of never claiming again; "Abandon your life to God"; "She gave up her children to her ex-husband when she moved to Tahiti"; "We gave the drowning victim up for dead" [syn: abandon]
3.
give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat; "In the second round, the challenger gave up" [syn: drop out] [ant: enter]
4.
put an end to a state or an activity; "Quit teasing your little brother" [syn: discontinue] [ant: bear on]
5.
give up what is not strictly needed; "he asked if they could spare one of their horses to speed his journey" [syn: spare]
6.
part with a possession or right; "I am relinquishing my bedroom to the long-term house guest"; "resign a claim to the throne" [syn: release]
7.
leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily; "She vacated the position when she got pregnant"; "The chairman resigned when he was found to have misappropriated funds" [syn: vacate]
8.
relinquish possession or control over; "The squatters had to surrender the building after the police moved in" [syn: surrender]
9.
give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another; "The last Taleban fighters finally surrendered" [syn: surrender] [ant: hold out]
10.
stop maintaining or insisting on; of ideas or claims; "He abandoned the thought of asking for her hand in marriage"; "Both sides have to give up some claims in these negotiations" [syn: abandon]
11.
allow the other (baseball) team to score; "give up a run"
12.
stop consuming; "kick a habit"; "give up alcohol" [syn: kick]
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