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

• 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

Barcelona’s popularity among tourists has led to complaints from residents about overcrowding and a lack of affordable housing as apartments are given over to short-term holiday lets. —Jack Guy, CNN Money, 21 July 2025

True Garden of Eden, with 40 percent of the land given over to nature. —Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2025

This weekend, the city was given over to the band, with murals and club-night after-parties, as well as its main train station rebranded in Osbourne’s honor. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 July 2025

Among his many allegations, Baldoni has claimed Lively used any and all means to pressure him into giving over creative control of the film, including leveraging Swift’s star status. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 14 June 2025

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