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give

[giv]

verb, gave, giv⋅en, giv⋅ing, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow: to give a birthday present to someone.

2.	to hand to someone: Give me that plate, please.

3.	to place in someone's care: If you give me your coat, I'll put it in the closet.

4.	to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone: Give me a chance.

5.	to impart or communicate: to give advice; to give a cold to someone.

6.	to set forth or show; present; offer: He gave no reason for his lateness.

7.	to pay or transfer possession to another in exchange for something: They gave five dollars for the picture. He gave me the car for $800.

8.	to furnish, provide, or proffer: to give evidence; Let me give you my umbrella before you go out in this rain.

9.	to provide as an entertainment or social function: to give a New Year's Eve party.

10.	to deal or administer: to give a blow to someone; to give medicine to a patient.

11.	to put forth, emit, or utter; issue: to give a cry; to give a command.

12.	to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usually used passively): These facts being given, the argument makes sense.

13.	to produce, yield, or afford: to give good results; 9 × 8 gives 72; The hen gave six eggs a week.

14.	to make, do, or perform: to give a start; to give a lurch.

15.	to perform or present publicly: to give a play; to give a concert.

16.	to cause; be responsible for (usually fol. by an infinitive): They gave me to understand that you would be there.

17.	to care about something to the value or extent of (something fanciful): I don't give a hoot about his opinion.

18.	to relinquish or sacrifice: to give one's life for a cause.

19.	to convey or transmit: Give Aunt Betty my love.

20.	to assign or allot: Give every man a full ration of biscuits. They gave him the name of “Joseph.”

21.	to bestow (the object of one's choice) upon, as if by providence: Give me the wide open spaces anytime.

22.	to be connected with, as by a telephone operator: Give me 235-7522.

23.	to present to an audience, as an entertainer, speaker, or act: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas.

24.	to attribute or ascribe: to give the devil his due; After long study the critic gave the unsigned work to a minor impressionist.

25.	to cause or occasion: She gives me a pain in the neck.

26.	to apply fully or freely: He gives his free time to golf.

27.	to award by verdict or after consideration: A decision was given for the defendant.

28.	to inflict as a punishment on another; punish by; impose a sentence of: The judge gave him five years.

29.	to pledge, offer as a pledge, or execute and deliver: He gave her his promise. Can you give bond?

30.	to propose as the subject of a toast (fol. by an indirect object): Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country.

31.	to bear to a man; deliver (fol. by an indirect object): She gave him a beautiful baby boy.

32.	to sire upon a woman; father (fol. by an indirect object): He gave her two children in the first five years of marriage.

33.	to concede or grant, as a point in an argument.

–verb (used without object)

34.	to make a gift or gifts; contribute: to give to the United Way.

35.	to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise: We can't negotiate until each side is willing to give on some points.

36.	to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc.: A horsehair mattress doesn't give much.

37.	to collapse; break down; fall apart; fail: The antique chair gave when I sat on it.

38.	to be warm and open in relationships with other persons: a withdrawn person who doesn't know how to give.

39.	Informal. to divulge information: Okay now, give! What happened?

40.	to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead (usually fol. by on, onto, etc.): The window gives on the sea. This door gives onto the hallway.

–noun

41.	the quality or state of being resilient; springiness.

—Verb phrases

42.

give away,

a.	to give as a present; bestow.

b.	to present (the bride) to the bridegroom in a marriage ceremony.

c.	to expose or betray (a person).

d.	to reveal (a confidence or secret, hidden motives, true feelings, etc.): That remark gave away his real feelings.

43.	give back, to return (something), as to its owner; restore: You haven't given back the books you borrowed from me.

44.	give birth to. birth (def. 10).

45.

give in,

a.	to acknowledge defeat; yield.

b.	to hand in; deliver: Please give in your timecards.

46.	give of, to devote or contribute generously of: to give of oneself; to give of one's abundance.

47.	give off, to put forth; emit: The gardenia gives off a very strong fragrance.

48.

give out,

a.	to send out; emit.

b.	to make public; announce.

c.	to distribute; issue.

d.	to become exhausted.

e.	to become used up; fail: The fuel gave out.

f.	to do or express something, esp. unrestrainedly or easily: to give out with a song.

49.

give over,

a.	to put into the care of; transfer: She gave over all her property to her daughter.

b.	to put an end to; stop: They will never give over their impossible dreams.

c.	to indulge in without restraint: She gave herself over to tears.

d.	to devote to a specified activity: The day was given over to relaxing in the sun.

50.

give up,

a.	to abandon hope; despair.

b.	to desist from; renounce: to give up smoking.

c.	to surrender; relinquish.

d.	to devote (oneself) entirely to: She gave herself up to her job and seldom saw her old friends.

e.	South Midland U.S. to consider; deem: She's given up to be the kindest woman around here.

—Idioms

51.

give and take,

a.	to compromise in order to cooperate: A willingness to give and take is important for success in marriage.

b.	to exchange ideas: an informal meeting in which there would be opportunities to give and take.

52.	give battle. battle ¹ (def. 10).

53.	give ground, to yield before superior force, as of arms or of reasoning.

54.	give it to, Informal. to reprimand or punish: His father really gave it to him for coming home so late.

55.	give or take, plus or minus a specified amount; more or less: It will cost $20, give or take a dollar or two.

56.	give rise to. rise (def. 55).

57.	give way. way (def. 26).

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.

Antonyms:
1. receive.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To give

give (gĭv)

v. gave (gāv), giv·en (gĭv'ən), giv·ing, gives

v. tr.

To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.
To place in the hands of; pass: Give me the scissors.
1. To deliver in exchange or recompense; pay: gave five dollars for the book.
2. To let go for a price; sell: gave the used car away for two thousand dollars.
3. To administer: give him some cough medicine.
4. To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.
5. To inflict as punishment: gave the child a spanking; was given life imprisonment for the crime.
6. Law To accord by verdict: A decision was given for the plaintiff.
7. To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
8. To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
9. To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
10. To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
11. To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
12. Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
13. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
14. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
15. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
16. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
17. To allot as a portion or share.
18. To bestow (a name, for example).
19. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
20. To award as due: gave us first prize.
21. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
22. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
23. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
24. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
25. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
26. To propose as a toast.
27. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
28. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
29. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
30. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
31. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
32. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
33. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
34. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To administer: give him some cough medicine.
2. To convey by a physical action: gave me a punch in the nose.
3. To inflict as punishment: gave the child a spanking; was given life imprisonment for the crime.
4. Law To accord by verdict: A decision was given for the plaintiff.
5. To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
6. To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
7. To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
8. To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
9. To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
10. Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
11. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
12. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
13. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
14. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
15. To allot as a portion or share.
16. To bestow (a name, for example).
17. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
18. To award as due: gave us first prize.
19. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
20. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
21. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
22. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
23. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
24. To propose as a toast.
25. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
26. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
27. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
28. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
29. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
30. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
31. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
32. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To bestow, especially officially; confer: The Bill of Rights gives us freedom of speech.
2. To accord or tender to another: Give him your confidence.
3. To put temporarily at the disposal of: gave them the cottage for a week.
4. To entrust to another, usually for a specified reason: gave me the keys for safekeeping.
5. To convey or offer for conveyance: Give him my best wishes.
6. Law To execute and deliver. Used especially in the phrase give bond.
7. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
8. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
9. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
10. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
11. To allot as a portion or share.
12. To bestow (a name, for example).
13. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
14. To award as due: gave us first prize.
15. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
16. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
17. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
18. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
19. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
20. To propose as a toast.
21. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
22. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
23. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
24. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
25. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
26. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
27. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
28. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To endure the loss of; sacrifice: gave her son to the war; gave her life for her country.
2. To devote or apply completely: gives herself to her work.
3. To furnish or contribute: gave their time to help others.
4. To offer in good faith; pledge: Give me your word.
5. To allot as a portion or share.
6. To bestow (a name, for example).
7. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
8. To award as due: gave us first prize.
9. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
10. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
11. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
12. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
13. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
14. To propose as a toast.
15. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
16. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
17. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
18. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
19. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
20. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
21. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
22. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To allot as a portion or share.
2. To bestow (a name, for example).
3. To attribute (blame, for example) to someone; assign.
4. To award as due: gave us first prize.
5. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
6. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
7. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
8. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
9. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
10. To propose as a toast.
11. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
12. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
13. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
14. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
15. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
16. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
17. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
18. 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.
1. To proffer to another: gave the toddler my hand.
2. To consent to engage (oneself) in sexual intercourse with a man.
3. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
4. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
5. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
6. To propose as a toast.
7. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
8. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
9. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
10. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
11. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
12. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
13. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
14. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To perform for an audience: give a recital.
2. To present to view: gave the sign to begin.
3. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
4. To propose as a toast.
5. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
6. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
7. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
8. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
9. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
10. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
11. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
12. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To offer as entertainment: give a dinner party.
2. To propose as a toast.
3. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
4. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
5. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
6. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
7. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
8. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
9. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
10. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To be a source of; afford: His remark gave offense. Music gives her pleasure.
2. To cause to catch or be subject to (a disease or bodily condition): The draft gave me a cold.
3. To guide or direct, as by persuasion or behavior. Used with an infinitive phrase: You gave me to imagine you approved of my report.
4. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
5. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
6. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
7. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
8. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To yield or produce: Cows give milk.
2. To bring forth or bear: trees that give fruit.
3. To produce as a result of calculation: 5 × 12 gives 60.
4. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
5. To carry out (a physical movement): give a wink; give a start.
1. To manifest or show: gives promise of brilliance; gave evidence of tampering.
2. 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.
1. To yield to physical force.
2. To collapse from force or pressure: The roof gave under the weight of the snow.
3. 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?

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.
1. To reveal or make known, often accidentally.
2. To betray.
3. To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
4. To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.
5. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
6. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
7. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
8. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
9. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
10. 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.
1. To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
2. To surrender (oneself) completely; abandon: finally gave myself over to grief.
3. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
4. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
5. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
6. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
7. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
8. 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.
1. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
2. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
3. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
4. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
5. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
6. To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
1. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
2. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
3. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
4. 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.
1. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
2. 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.
1. To reveal or make known, often accidentally.
2. To betray.

give backTo return: gave me back my book.
give in

To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.
To cease opposition; yield.

give ofTo devote or contribute: She really gave of her time to help. They give of themselves to improve the quality of education.
give offTo 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.
1. To devote to a particular purpose or use: gave the day over to merrymaking.
2. 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

1. To surrender: The suspects gave themselves up.
2. To devote (oneself) completely: gave herself up to her work.
3. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
4. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
5. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
6. To lose hope of seeing: We'd given you up an hour ago.
1. To cease to do or perform: gave up their search.
2. To desist from; stop: gave up smoking.
3. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
4. 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.
1. To lose hope for: We had given the dog up as lost.
2. 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 groundTo 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 takePlus or minus a small specified amount: The chalet is close to the road, give or take a few hundred yards.

Idiom(s):
give rise toTo 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 eyeTo 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 ghostTo cease living or functioning; die.

Idiom(s):
give way

1. To retreat or withdraw.
2. To yield the right of way: gave way to an oncoming car.
3. To relinquish ascendancy or position: as day gives way slowly to night.
4. To collapse from or as if from physical pressure: The ladder gave way.
5. To yield to urging or demand; give in.
1. To collapse from or as if from physical pressure: The ladder gave way.
2. 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.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Give

Give\ (g[i^]v), v. t. [imp. Gave (g[=a]v); p. p. Given (g[i^]v"'n); p. pr. & vb. n. Giving.] [OE. given, yiven, yeven, AS. gifan, giefan; akin to D. geven, OS. ge[eth]an, OHG. geban, G. geben, Icel. gefa, Sw. gifva, Dan. give, Goth. giban. Cf. Gift, n.]

1. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow.

For generous lords had rather give than pay. --Young.

2. To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy.

What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? --Matt. xvi. 26.

3. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks.

4. To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc.

5. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission.

It is given me once again to behold my friend. --Rowe.

Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine. --Pope.

6. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship.

7. To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study.

8. (Logic & Math.) To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason; -- used principally in the passive form given.

9. To allow or admit by way of supposition.

I give not heaven for lost. --Mlton.

10. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.

I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover. --Sheridan.

11. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain.

12. To pledge; as, to give one's word.

13. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc.

But there the duke was given to understand That in a gondola were seen together Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica. --Shak.

To give away, to make over to another; to transfer.

Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves. --Atterbury.

To give back, to return; to restore. --Atterbury.

To give the bag, to cheat. [Obs.]

I fear our ears have given us the bag. --J. Webster.

To give birth to. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea.

To give chase, to pursue.

To give ear to. See under Ear.

To give forth, to give out; to publish; to tell. --Hayward.

To give ground. See under Ground, n.

To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith.

To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage.

To give the head. See under Head, n.

To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party.

To give the lie to (a person), to tell (him) that he lies.

To give line. See under Line.

To give off, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc.

To give one's self away, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.]

To give out. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare.

One that gives out himself Prince Florizel. --Shak.

Give out you are of Epidamnum. --Shak. (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors.

To give over. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self).

The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice. --Grew.

To give place, to withdraw; to yield one's claim.

To give points. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.]

To give rein. See under Rein, n.

To give the sack. Same as To give the bag.

To give and take. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc.

To give time (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. --Abbott.

To give the time of day, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as "good morning." "good evening", etc.

To give tongue, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs.

To give up. (a) To abandon; to surrender. "Don't give up the ship."

He has . . . given up For certain drops of salt, your city Rome. --Shak. (b) To make public; to reveal.

I'll not state them By giving up their characters. --Beau. & Fl. (c) (Used also reflexively.)

To give up the ghost. See under Ghost.

To give one's self up, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self.

To give way. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) (Naut.) To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) (Stock Exchange). To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent.

To give way together, to row in time; to keep stroke.

Syn: To Give, Confer, Grant.

Usage: To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior.

Give

Give\, v. i. 1. To give a gift or gifts.

2. To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet.

3. To become soft or moist. [Obs.] --Bacon .

4. To move; to recede.

Now back he gives, then rushes on amain. --Daniel.

5. To shed tears; to weep. [Obs.]

Whose eyes do never give But through lust and laughter. --Shak.

6. To have a misgiving. [Obs.]

My mind gives ye're reserved To rob poor market women. --J. Webster.

7. To open; to lead. [A Gallicism]

This, yielding, gave into a grassy walk. --Tennyson.

To give back, to recede; to retire; to retreat.

They gave back and came no farther. --Bunyan.

To give in, to yield; to succumb; to acknowledge one's self beaten; to cease opposition.

The Scots battalion was enforced to give in. --Hayward.

This consideration may induce a translator to give in to those general phrases. --Pope.

To give off, to cease; to forbear. [Obs.] --Locke.

To give

on or upon. (a) To rush; to fall upon. [Obs.] (b) To have a view of; to be in sight of; to overlook; to look toward; to open upon; to front; to face. [A Gallicism: cf. Fr. donner sur.]

Rooms which gave upon a pillared porch. --Tennyson.

The gloomy staircase on which the grating gave. --Dickens.

To give out. (a) To expend all one's strength. Hence: (b) To cease from exertion; to fail; to be exhausted; as, my feet being to give out; the flour has given out.

To give over, to cease; to discontinue; to desist.

It would be well for all authors, if they knew when to give over, and to desist from any further pursuits after fame. --Addison.

To give up, to cease from effort; to yield; to despair; as, he would never give up.

Give

Give\, v. t. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park.

Language Translation for : give

Spanish: dar, regalar,

German: geben,

Japanese: 与える

More Translations »

give

O.E. giefan (W. Saxon), class V strong verb (past tense geaf, pp. giefen), from P.Gmc. *gebanan (cf. O.Fris. jeva, M.Du. gheven, Ger. geben, Goth. giban), from PIE *ghab(h)- "to take, hold, have, give" (see habit). It became yiven in M.E., but changed to guttural "g" by infl. of O.N. gefa "to give," O.Dan. givæ. Meaning "to yield to pressure" is from 1577. Given "allotted, predestined" (O.E. giefeðe) also had a n. sense of "fate," reflecting an important concept in pagan Gmc. ideology. The modern sense of "what is given, known facts" is from 1879. To give (someone) a cold seems to reflect the old belief that one could be cured of disease by deliberately infecting others. What gives? "what is happening?" is attested from 1940. Give-and-take (n.) is originally from horse racing (1769) and refers to races in which bigger horses were given more weight to carry, lighter ones less. Give-away (n.) is from 1872.

Main Entry: give
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: gave; giv·en; giv·ing
1 a : to make a gift of give the remainder of my estate to my wife> —compare CONVEY, SELL b : to grant or bestow by formal action gives citizens the right to vote>
2 a : to transfer from one's authority or custody gave the prisoner to the warden> b : to execute and deliver give bond> c : to communicate or impart to another give adequate notice> d : to offer or submit for the consideration of another <give testimony in court>
3 : to yield possession of by way of exchange give top dollar for your used car>
4 a : to impose as punishment b : to award by formal verdict given against the plaintiff> —giv·er noun

Main Entry: give
Pronunciation: 'giv
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: gave /'gAv/; giv·en /'giv-&n/;giv·ing
1 : to administer as a medicine
2 : to cause a person to catch by contagion, infection, or exposure —give birth : to have a baby <gave birth last Thursday> —give birth to : to produce as offspring <gave birth to a daughter>

give

In addition to the idioms beginning with give, also see hard time (give someone a); Indian giver; never give a sucker an even break; not care (give) a rap; not give someone the time of day; what's cooking (gives). Also see under idioms beginning with get and have.

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