giveaway

1 of 2

noun

give·​away ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce giveaway (audio)
plural giveaways
1
: an unintentional revelation or betrayal
2
a
: something given away free
specifically : premium sense 1d
b
: the act of giving something away free
staging a promotional giveaway
3
: a radio or television program on which prizes are given away
4
sports : an error or poor play that allows an opponent to gain control of the ball or puck : a mistake that results in a turnover
As a team the Dolphins have committed a league-low 12 giveaways.Jim Trotter

give away

2 of 2

verb

gave away; given away; giving away; gives away

transitive verb

1
: to make a present of
2
: to deliver (a bride) ceremonially to the bridegroom at a wedding
3
4
: to give (something, such as weight) by way of a handicap

Examples of giveaway in a Sentence

Noun The way she looked at him was a dead giveaway that they were more than just friends. The store is offering coffee mugs as free giveaways to attract new customers. The store is staging a promotional giveaway to attract new customers. Verb the insincerity of his apology was given away by that slight smirk on his face gave away all her potted plants when she moved
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For fans of the show, there was one telltale giveaway: Some of the clips show Squad 3 emblazoned on the truck, the number of the unit depicted in the series. USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024 An opening celebration starts with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m., followed by live entertainment, giveaways and promotions throughout the day. The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024 Local churches and vendors offered free produce and tacos to attendees but there was no direct mention of a turkey giveaway until the day of the event. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024 Some of the giveaways include a replica World Series Trophy, replica World Series Rings and a Corey Seager World Series MVP bobblehead. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Email address: Like other Thai parents, they’d been bombarded by formula advertising on television, online and in grocery stores, where a rainbow of boxes and canisters of powdered toddler milk featured teddy bears in graduation caps and giveaways like toys or diapers. Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 21 Mar. 2024 On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., visitors can follow the GameDay coverage for analysis and insight from the ESPN crew, as well as participate in the Fan Zone, an interactive experience for visitors to enjoy photo-ops and giveaways. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 MrBeast, the YouTuber known for big-money giveaways, is going bigger than ever with his new show on Amazon’s Prime Video. Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 Easter Fun Fest This free event hosted by the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department will have carnival rides, a big top circus, a high velocity slide, face painting, DJs, community resources, a health fair, inflatables, giveaways, food trucks and more. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Part of the centers’ success comes from a willingness to reuse: The Aarhus Facebook group for giving away items is over 82,000 people strong. Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024 Walmart, Lowe's, Menards, Kroger, Meijer and Staples. Warby Parker, the eyewear company, is giving away eclipse eyewear at its stores beginning Monday, but does not have details about the availability of the free glasses at its locations. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024 The brewery will give away free eclipse glasses (the wearing kind, not drinking) for the first 100 attendees. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 7 Apr. 2024 Tony Pepperoni hosts pizza giveaway To celebrate the first anniversary of its Vista location, Tony Pepperoni will be giving away one free large cheese or pepperoni pizza per customer on April 27 at the Vista location only. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024 Warby Parker Eyeglass retailer Warby Parker is giving away free eclipse glasses while supplies last, limit two per person, through April 8. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024 Arby's giveaway:Arby's is giving away one free sandwich a week for the month of April: How to get yours Whatever the origin, burritos are yummy. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024 Austin, Texas Ten thousand eclipse glasses are being given away by the Austin Nature and Science Center, all 20 community recreation centers, four senior centers, and the three cultural centers. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 Only the snarl of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 will give away that this wagon’s packing 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of yank. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'giveaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of giveaway was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near giveaway

give a tinker's damn

giveaway

give away

Cite this Entry

“Giveaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveaway. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

giveaway

1 of 2 noun
give·​away ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce giveaway (audio)
1
: an unintentional act of revealing or betraying
his expression was a dead giveaway of his guilt
2
: something that is given away free
3
: an event at which things are given away

give away

2 of 2 verb
ˌgiv-ə-ˈwā
1
: to present (a bride) to the bridegroom at a wedding
2
a
: to show unintentionally

More from Merriam-Webster on giveaway

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