give over

verb

gave over; given over; giving over; gives over

transitive verb

1

: cease

2

: entrust

3

a

: to yield without restraint or control : abandon

gave themselves over to laughter

b

: to set apart for a particular purpose or use

4

archaic : to pronounce incurable

intransitive verb

British : to cease an activity : stop

… told him to give over and let me alone …

—Brendan Behan

Synonyms of give over

• stop
• cease
• end
• halt
• quit
• leave off
• shut off
• cut off
• cut out
• have done with

Examples of give over in a Sentence

his wife suggested that he give over working such long hours if it was making him so unhappy

gave over his entire savings to an investor

Recent Examples on the Web

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has given over 16,000 such doses since the outbreak started. — Katie Lockwood, STAT, 28 Oct. 2026

With so much of the house given over to glass, art could play only a limited role. — Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

The spot will give over its taps to Cerebral Brewing and Milieu Brewing for the weekend. — Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Besides rest, a driver should completely give over the keys if they are inebriated or otherwise unfit to drive. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for give over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover