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give ground

 - 12 dictionary results
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give

  [giv] verb, gave, giv⋅en, giv⋅ing, noun
Use give ground in a Sentence
–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.
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ground

1  [ground]
–noun
1. the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.
2. earth or soil: stony ground.
3. land having an indicated character: rising ground.
4. Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.
5. Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.
6. subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.
7. rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.
8. the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.
9. Fine Arts.
a. a coating of some substance serving as a surface for paint, ink, or other media in art: Lead white is a traditional ground for oil paintings.
b. ground color (def. 2).
10. (in perception) the background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.
11. Also called etching ground. an acid-resistant substance, composed of wax, gum, and resin in varying proportions, applied to the entire surface of an etching plate and through which the design is drawn with an etching needle.
12. grounds, dregs or sediment: coffee grounds.
13. grounds, the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.
14. Electricity. a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.
15. Music. ground bass.
16. Nautical. the bottom of a body of water.
17. the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water.
18. Carpentry.
a. a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.
b. a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.
–adjective
19. situated on or at, or adjacent to, the surface of the earth: a ground attack.
20. pertaining to the ground.
21. Military. operating on land: ground forces.
–verb (used with object)
22. to lay or set on the ground.
23. to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.
24. to instruct in elements or first principles: to ground students in science.
25. to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.
26. to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.
27. Electricity. to establish a ground for (a circuit, device, etc.).
28. Nautical. to cause (a vessel) to run aground.
29. Aeronautics. to restrict (an aircraft or the like) to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.
30. to forbid (a pilot) to fly because of bad health, failure to comply with safety regulations, or the like.
31. Informal. to put out of action or make unable to participate: The quarterback was grounded by a knee injury.
32. Informal. to restrict the activities, esp. the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.
–verb (used without object)
33. to come to or strike the ground.
34. Baseball.
a. to hit a ground ball.
b. to ground out.
—Verb phrase
35. ground out, Baseball. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.
—Idioms
36. break ground,
a. to plow.
b. to begin excavation for a construction project.
c. to begin upon or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.
37. cover ground,
a. to pass or travel over a certain area.
b. to make a certain amount of progress in dealing with a piece of work, subject, treatise, or the like: He talked for two hours without covering much ground.
38. cut the ground from under, to render (an argument, position, person, etc.) ineffective or invalid; refute: It didn't require much effort to cut the ground from under that case.
39. from the ground up,
a. gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.
b. extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.
40. gain ground,
a. to make progress; advance.
b. to gain approval or acceptance: The case for air-pollution control is gaining ground throughout the country.
41. give ground, to yield to force or forceful argument; retreat: The disarmament talks reached an impasse when neither side would give ground on inspection proposals.
42. hold or stand one's ground, to maintain one's position; be steadfast: The referee stood his ground, though his decision was hotly contested by the crowd.
43. into the ground, beyond a reasonable or necessary point: You've stated your case, and you needn't run it into the ground.
44. lose ground,
a. to retreat or be forced back.
b. to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.
c. to wane in popularity or acceptance; begin to fail: Our candidate is losing ground in industrial areas.
45. off the ground, Informal. into action or well under way: The play never got off the ground.
46. on one's own ground, in an area or situation that one knows well.
47. on the ground, at the place of interest or importance; actively engaged: Minutes after the bank robbery reporters were on the ground to get the story.
48. shift ground, to change position in an argument or situation.
49. suit down to the ground, to be perfectly satisfactory; please greatly: This climate suits me down to the ground.
50. take the ground, Nautical. to become grounded at low water.
51. to ground,
a. into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.
b. into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME grownd, grund, OE grund; c. D grond, G Grund; (v.) ME grundien, grownden to set on a foundation, establish, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
ground⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ground⋅a⋅bly, adverb
ground⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
ground⋅ed⋅ness, noun
groundward, groundwards, adverb, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To give ground
give   (gĭv)   
v.   gave (gāv), giv·en (gĭv'ən), giv·ing, gives

v.   tr.

  1. To make a present of: We gave her flowers for her birthday.

  2. 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.

  8. To emit or utter: gave a groan; gave a muted response.

  9. 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.

  16. To permit one to have or take: gave us an hour to finish.

  17. To take an interest to the extent of: "My dear, I don't give a damn" (Margaret Mitchell).

v.   intr.

  1. 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.

  3. To afford access or a view; open: The doors give onto a terrace.

  4. Slang To be in progress; happen: What gives?

n.  

  1. Capacity or inclination to yield under pressure.

  2. The quality or condition of resilience; springiness: "Fruits that have some give ... will have more juice than hard ones" (Elizabeth Schneider).

  3. To make a gift of.

  4. 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.

  6. To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.

  7. To cease opposition; yield.

  8. To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.

  9. To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.

  10. To distribute: gave out the surplus food.

  11. To stop functioning; fail.

  12. To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out.

  13. 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.

  15. 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.

  18. 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.

  20. To admit defeat.

  21. To abandon what one is doing or planning to do: gave up on writing the novel.

Phrasal Verb(s):
give away

  1. To make a gift of.

  2. 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

  1. To hand in; submit: She gave in her report.

  2. 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

  1. To allow to be known; declare publicly: gave out the bad news.

  2. To send forth; emit: gave out a steady buzzing.

  3. To distribute: gave out the surplus food.

  4. To stop functioning; fail.

  5. To become used up or exhausted; run out: Their determination finally gave out.

give over

  1. 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 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.

  3. 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.

  5. To admit defeat.

  6. 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

  1. To bear as offspring.

  2. 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

  1. To make life difficult for; harass.

  2. To make fun of; tease.


Idiom(s):
give (someone) the eyeTo look at admiringly or invitingly.

Idiom(s):
give the lie to

  1. To show to be inaccurate or untrue.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.
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Slang Dictionary
give (so)

  1. tv.
    to signal someone by nodding. (Not slang.) : I gave Pete the nod, and he started the procedure.
  2. tv.
    to choose someone. (See also get the nod.) : The committee gave Frank the nod for the job.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

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.

ground 
O.E. grund "foundation, ground, surface of the earth," especially "bottom of the sea" (a sense preserved in run aground), from P.Gmc. *grundus, which seems to have meant "deep place" (cf. O.Fris. grund, Du. grond, Ger. Grund "ground, soil, bottom;" O.N. grunn "a shallow place, grund "field, plain," grunnr "bottom"). No known cognates outside Gmc. Sense of "reason, motive" first attested c.1205; electrical sense is from 1870. Grounds "residue at the bottom of a liquid" (1340) is perhaps from past tense of grind (q.v.). Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1931). Ground-hog is attested from 1784; Ground Hog Day first recorded 1871, Amer.Eng. Groundwork (1550) is originally "the solid base on which a structure is built;" fig. sense is from 1557. Groundling "theater patron in the pit" is from 1602, from the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

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: ground
Function: transitive verb
: to furnish a ground for : set on a basis grounded the disclosure requirement in negligence law —Scott v. Bradford, 606 Pacific Reporter, Second Series 554 (1979)> grounded on erroneous assumptions>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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>

Main Entry: ground
past and past participle of GRIND
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
ground   (ground)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A connection between an electrical conductor and the Earth. Grounds are used to establish a common zero-voltage reference for electric devices in order to prevent potentially dangerous voltages from arising between them and other objects. Also called earth.

  2. The set of shared points in an electrical circuit at which the measured voltage is taken to be zero. The ground is usually connected directly to the power supply and acts as a common "sink" for current flowing through the components in the circuit.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

give ground

Yield to a stronger force, retreat, as in He began to give ground on that point, although he didn't stop arguing entirely. This expression originated in the 1500s, when it alluded to a military force retreating and so giving up territory to the enemy. By the mid-1600s it was being used figuratively.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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