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
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.
Noun
Coach Marco Sturm, whose team was tagged with 18 giveaways (led by Pastrnak and Geekie, who each had three) again lamented turnovers and not being ready in key situations. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 Darnell Nurse’s giveaway not even two minutes later led to Jack Hughes’ second goal of the game. Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Not competing on price—who’s giving away more? Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025 Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site. Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for giveaway

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Giveaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveaway. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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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