gift

1 of 3

noun

ˈgift 

1

: a notable capacity, talent, or endowment

2

: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation

3

: the act, right, or power of giving

gift

2 of 3

verb

gifted; gifting; gifts

transitive verb

1

: to endow with some power, quality, or attribute

She's been gifted with a beautiful voice.

2

a

: to make a gift of

It makes an excellent choice whether you're gifting one bottle for the honeymoon or a case to be savored for years, or even decades, to come.

—Robert Taylor

b

: present

gifted her with flowers

In this, her ninth novel, she has succeeded in gifting us with a story that will stay with us for a long time.

—Dorothy Rochmis

giftee

ˌgif-ˈtē 

noun

GIFT

3 of 3

abbreviation

gamete intrafallopian transfer; gamete intrafallopian tube transfer

Synonyms

Noun

• bestowal
• comp
• donation
• donative
• fairing [British]
• freebie
• freebee
• giveaway
• handsel
• lagniappe
• largesse
• largess
• present
• presentation

Verb

• bless
• endow
• endue
• indue
• favor
• invest

Choose the Right Synonym for gift

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something.

gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

Examples of gift in a Sentence

Noun

The money was a gift, not a loan.

She considers her voice a God-given gift.

Verb

gifted with an uncanny ability to persuade people to do things they ordinarily wouldn't

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

She’s researched thousands of baby products, toys, gifts, and more and personally tested many of them. —Staff Author, Parents, 13 Apr. 2024

To the end, colleagues said, Al Chardy deployed the best gift a journalist could have — the ability to put himself in other peoples’ shoes. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024

Tidal Basin each year were originally received as a gift from the nation in 1912. —Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024

There will be handmade items and plants for Mother’s Day gifts. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024

The gift honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which the United States will celebrate in 2026. —USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

The speaker was sold in toy and gift stores nationwide from November 2021 to April 2024. —John Towfighi, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024

Guests will also be treated to exclusive gifts from About-Face, the makeup brand by recording artist Halsey. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024

For the first time live, fans can witness Tia Pepa, who can control the weather with her emotions; her husband Felix; their daughter Dolores, with her gift to hear; and Bruno, the mysterious and misunderstood Madrigal family member whose visions foretold the future. —Esther Piccolino, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2024

Verb

After gifting 3,000 cherry trees more than a century ago, whose blooming has come to define spring in D.C., Japan gifted an additional 250 cherry trees to the U.S. to be planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington, Kishida said Wednesday. —USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Japan gifted 250 new cherry trees to the U.S. to replace the ones that must be removed for repairs in Washington, D.C. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

While Kishida’s arrival missed the peak bloom of Washington’s cherry trees, many originally gifted to the US by Japan, celebrations of spring dominated the dinner with decorations of butterflies, Japanese gardens, and an artistic depiction of a koi pond. —Michelle Jamrisko, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

The home was the 368th home gifted through Building Homes for Heroes in collaboration with JPMorgan Chase. —Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024

In celebration of the Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, NC, J. Cole gifted fans with a surprise release titled Might Delete Later. —Okla Jones, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024

Firefighter Adopts Puppy Saved from Burning Home and Plans to Teach Kids Fire Safety with the Dog The toddler was returned to his family safe and unharmed, and police officers gifted him with a teddy bear, which he can be seen holding in a photo shared by the department. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

More than that, Darvish gifted Teng one of his gloves, a natural leather Asics mitt with teal accents embroidered with Darvish’s signature. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024

California nonprofits received $137 million out of the $640 million gifted in her latest round of funding. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old Norse, something given, talent; akin to Old English giefan to give

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gift

• a gift from the gods
• charitable gift
• free gift
• gift card
• gift certificate
• gift economy
• gift of gab
• gift of tongues
• gift registry
• gift shop
• gift wrap
• God's gift
• look a gift horse in the mouth

Kids Definition

gift

noun

ˈgift

1

: a special ability : talent

2

: something given : present

Medical Definition

GIFT

abbreviation

gamete intrafallopian transfer; gamete intrafallopian tube transfer

Legal Definition

gift

noun

1

: an intentional and gratuitous transfer of real or personal property by a donor with legal capacity who actually or constructively delivers the property to the donee with the intent of giving up dominion over the property and investing it in the donee who accepts it

broadly : a voluntary transfer of property without compensation see also delivery compare donation, sale

— class gift

: a usually testamentary gift of a sum to a group of unspecified persons whose number and identity and share of the gift will be determined sometime in the future (as at the death of the donor)

— completed gift

: a gift in which the dominion and control of the property is placed beyond the donor's reach

— gift causa mortis \ -​ˈkȯ-​zə-​ˈmȯr-​tis, -​ˈkau̇-​sä-​ˈmȯr-​tēs \ plural gifts causa mortis

: a gift of especially personal property made in contemplation of impending death that is delivered with the intent that the gift take effect only in the event of the donor's death and that it be revoked in the event of survival compare donation inter vivos and donation mortis causa at donation, gift inter vivos and testamentary gift in this entry

— gift inter vivos \ -​ˈin-​tər-​ˈvī-​vōs; -​ˈin-​ter-​ˈvē-​vōs, -​ˈwē-​wōs \ plural gifts inter vivos

: a gift made during the lifetime of the donor and delivered with the intent of surrendering immediately and irrevocably dominion and control over the property compare donation inter vivos at donation, gift causa mortis and testamentary gift in this entry

— gift over plural gifts over

: a gift especially by will of property that takes effect upon the termination or failure of a preceding estate (as a life estate) in the property

— manual gift

: a gift especially under the civil law of Louisiana made of a movable corporeal object by actual delivery and involving no formalities

— split gift

: a gift made by a spouse to a third person that for purposes of gift tax may be considered as given one-half by each spouse to take advantage of tax avoidance devices (as the annual exclusion)

— substitutional gift \ ˌsəb-​stə-​ˈtü-​shə-​nəl-​, -​ˈtyü-​ \

: a gift to a legatee or devisee in substitution for another devisee or legatee who cannot take under the will (as because of death)

called also substitute gift

— testamentary gift

: a gift that does not become effective until the death of the donor

specifically : a gift made in a will compare gift causa mortis and gift inter vivos in this entry

2

: something voluntarily transferred without compensation

3

: a transfer of property for less than adequate consideration other than in the ordinary course of business

—used in the law of gift tax

Note: The amount by which the value of property so transferred exceeds the consideration paid is included in the total amount of taxable gifts made during a calendar year.