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
Along the way, the Rams turned the ball over just nine times while forcing 15 Nevada giveaways. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Velma Wilson added that her daughter had hosted successful community events in the past, including the Stuff the Bus school supply giveaway. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The giveaway will be held at the Burns Park Hospitality House, 402 W. Military Drive, in North Little Rock on Friday. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2024 The Oscars are known for high fashion, celebrities’ memorable red carpet moments, and a notoriously long runtime, so Shake Shack is letting its upcoming free food giveaway to be determined by the length of this year’s broadcast. Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 The giveaway will open on campbellschunkylegendedition.com on Thursday at 6 a.m. ET and run through Thursday, March 28 at 11:59 p.m. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Molson Coors, which owns Miller Lite, announced on Twitter the free beer giveaway would be canceled due to the shooting. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 The only Krispy Kreme in Indianapolis, located at 5940 E. 82nd St., is participating in the Super Tuesday donut giveaway. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Many of those games are also promotional nights for the team, meaning free giveaways for early arrivals. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Yield Giving’s first round of donations is more than double what Scott had initially pledged to give away through the application process. Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 The restaurant chain is giving away free wings to every fan with a busted bracket, starting Tuesday, March 19, through April 8, the company announced in a news release last Thursday. Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, the campaign encourages billionaires from across industries to commit to giving away at least half of their fortunes to charitable causes. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 But even naming who that person was would give away too much about the category he’s associated with. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The third baseman who the Mets practically gave away in August 2022 might be practically given away by the Giants in March 2024, despite a really solid run between those dates. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 The trees will be given away from 5-7 p.m. in the parking lot off East Township Street. Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Of course, there’s no law compelling billionaires to give away money to charity. Allison Morrow, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Shake Shack:Burger chain giving away free sandwiches based on length of Oscars telecast See new Iced Lavender Oatmilk Matcha and Lattee If fall is about pumpkin spice lattes then spring is all about lavender. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 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 28 Mar. 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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