give over

verb

gave over; given over; giving over; gives over
Synonyms of give overnext

transitive verb

1
: cease
2
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Today, the strip of Broadway in front of Macy’s is closed to cars, and Broadway for a few blocks to the north and south of 34th Street is heavily traffic-restricted with significant space given over to café tables, bike racks, and the like. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026 And still, at the start of this season, the Trojan Family was ready to give over their faith again to Lincoln Riley. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 No explanation was given over the decision to cancel the unloading of 50 million shares. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 He was also ordered to give over his gun and have no contact with the children or their families. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for give over

Word History

First Known Use

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

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

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Cite this Entry

“Give over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20over. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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