gift

noun

Save Word

\ ˈgift

Definition of gift

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

verb

gifted; gifting; gifts

Definition of gift (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to endow with some power, quality, or attribute She's been gifted with a beautiful voice.

2a : 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

GIFT

abbreviation

Definition of GIFT (Entry 3 of 3)

gamete intrafallopian transfer; gamete intrafallopian tube transfer

Other Words from gift Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about gift

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for gift

Noun

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 This Monday, Wagner came with a special gift for Levi: a recycling truck playset, from Walmart. — Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, "'You're my favorite customer.' Rumpke employee leaves gift for 3-year-old boy," 6 Aug. 2020 She was requested to purchase two pre-loaded Green Dot gift cards with money from the store. — cleveland, "Residents catch thief in action; one follows him with gun: Mayfield Heights Police Blotter," 6 Aug. 2020 An Avalon Park resident, who posted about the need on her Facebook page, recently donated hundreds of dollars in gift cards and hundreds of bags of snacks for the families, Aboul-hosn said. — Kate Santich, orlandosentinel.com, "Ronald McDonald House turns to hotels, community for help with facilities still shuttered," 5 Aug. 2020 This should have been a gift, a way for Trump to distance himself from a disastrous response to an earlier question. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "The Washington Media Is Starting to Treat Trump Like a Clown," 4 Aug. 2020 Still, Moshfegh’s gift for staring down darkness—for finding spiffy packages for awfulness—is rare and unexpectedly riveting. — Stephanie Hayes, The Atlantic, "Ottessa Moshfegh’s Strange and Riveting Female Narrators," 7 July 2020 In Columbus, Ohio, the mountainous statue in front of the city hall ⁠ — a gift from his birthplace of Genoa, Italy, in 1955 ⁠ — was removed early last Wednesday morning. — Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, "Columbus statues are falling across the country. Will ‘Columbus,’ Ohio, fall, too?," 7 July 2020 According to the Chamber of Commerce, it was built in 1976 as a gift to the city (and a way to attract tourists). — Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The World's Largest Talking Cow, a giant ball of twine and more roadside attractions in Wisconsin," 2 July 2020 Full of embarrassingly bad jokes, this is another perfect gift to give to Dad, even now that Father’s Day is over. — Kami Phillips, CNN Underscored, "The 20 products Underscored readers loved in June," 2 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Thanks to a donor, LSC-Kingwood was able to gift over 50 students with laptops and about that many students received webcams to communicate with teachers. — Savannah Mehrtens, Houston Chronicle, "Lone Star College-Kingwood uses preventative measures for on-campus faculty, staff, vendors approaching the fall semester," 31 July 2020 Fans can do in-app purchases — one of the ways that TikTok makes money, along with brand partnerships — to gift to their favorite content creators. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "What Is TikTok? Everything You Need to Know About the Social Media App," 16 July 2020 Offset's decision to gift their two-year-old daughter a Birkin bag for her birthday. — Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, "Cardi B Defends Her and Offset's Choice to Gift Their Daughter, Kulture, a Birkin Bag," 16 July 2020 Or gift them indulgent soaps, shampoos, and body lotions (to maximize super-quick showers) and extra-comfy loungewear. Keep up the energy with games. — Brie Dyas, Country Living, "Fun Ideas for a Virtual Baby Shower," 7 May 2020 Mixer streamers wanted fans to be able to buy and gift multiple subscriptions to their friends—a major contributor to Twitch streamers’ income. — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, "Is It Game Streaming's Turn For a Labor Revolution?," 8 July 2020 Thankfully, in a recent Instagram post, The Pioneer Woman was able to save us from another Sad Salad day and gift us with the recipe for her easy-to-make homemade ranch dressing. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "Ree Drummond Shares the Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing," 2 July 2020 According to the Fallen Heroes Flag Act of 2016, members of Congress are allowed to gift flags to law enforcement officers and other first responders. — Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, "Fact check: U.S. Capitol flag, which was given to Floyd family, isn't only for veterans," 26 June 2020 Or, share the joy with a friend and gift a virtual class. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "1-800-Flowers Launches Virtual Floral Arranging Workshops," 24 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gift.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for gift

gift

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gift

(Entry 1 of 2)

: something that is given to another person or to a group or organization

: a special ability

gift

verb

English Language Learners Definition of gift (Entry 2 of 2)

: to present (someone) with a gift

See the full definition for gift in the English Language Learners Dictionary

gift

noun

\ ˈgift

Kids Definition of gift

1 : a special ability : talent a gift for music

2 : something given : present I gave my mother her birthday gift.

GIFT

abbreviation

Medical Definition of GIFT

gamete intrafallopian transfer; gamete intrafallopian tube transfer

Keep scrolling for more

gift

noun

Legal Definition of gift

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.

Keep scrolling for more