give up

verb

gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

transitive verb

1

: to yield control or possession of : surrender

forced to give up his job

2

: to desist from : abandon

refused to give up her efforts

3

: to declare incurable or insoluble

4

a

: to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity

gave himself up to despair

b

: to devote to a particular purpose or use

5

: to despair of seeing

we'd given you up

6

: to allow (a hit or run in baseball) while pitching

intransitive verb

: to cease doing or attempting something especially as an admission of defeat : quit

—often used with on

don't give up on the project

see also:

give up the ghost

Synonyms of give up

• relinquish
• surrender
• deliver
• render
• turn in

Examples of give up in a Sentence

was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment

I hope you won't give up playing the piano.

Recent Examples on the Web

After three minutes of trying to smash into the ATM and get money, the burglars gave up and fled the scene as soon as police arrived, the employee said. — Blake Tyson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

While the Bruins’ offense exploded, their defense imploded, giving up 38 points and 488 yards to the Boilermakers. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Stoppers are reusable and the rechargeable pump gives up to 100 preservation cycles on a full charge. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Moving from prose to a film set meant giving up some control, Harada says. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for give up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

give up

verb

1

: surrender entry 1 sense 1

2

: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity

3

: stop entry 1 sense 7a