gift

noun

\ 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

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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

Curiously, though, there have also been reports of leopard seals behaving in a friendly manner towards people—apparently trying to present gifts, in the form of prey, to divers. — The Economist, "Leopard seals share their suppers," 17 Aug. 2019 Fundraising for the garage received a boost last year when 1962 Fenwick alumnus Michael R. Quinlan and his wife, Marilyn, pledged a $3 million gift, to be paid out over three years. — Steve Schering, chicagotribune.com, "Fenwick breaks ground on new 350-space on-campus parking garage," 16 Aug. 2019 The specialty food, gift, and home store sells all kinds of goodies from Stone Hollow’s farm, as well as many others in the region. — Birmingham Magazine, al, "This local gift box is perfect for foodies," 16 Aug. 2019 The entry fee is $190 per golfer or $720 for a foursome, which includes green fees, practice balls, lunch, cart, tee gifts, on-course refreshments, dinner, awards and prizes. — Phil Jensen, The Mercury News, "Sports briefs," 15 Aug. 2019 For the 30th anniversary of the theme park, Disneyland was running a promotional gimmick to give away gifts, including a new Cadillac, to the 30th visitor and every multiple of 30 thereafter. — Los Angeles Times, "She won a free Disneyland ticket — 34 years later, the park let her use it," 15 Aug. 2019 This renewed emphasis on art programming comes at an exciting time for the museum, which recently received a $22 million gift, the biggest in its history. — Nora Mcgreevy, BostonGlobe.com, "Emily Dickinson’s ‘scraps of paper’ inspire art installation at poet’s Amherst conservatory," 15 Aug. 2019 Other tricky issues include how to permit inheritances, gifts, and the temporary borrowing of guns among family and friends without creating loopholes or making criminals of innocent people. — Robert Verbruggen, National Review, "The Promise and Pitfalls of Universal Background Checks," 13 Aug. 2019 The program was born out of the interest that other donors showed after Mr. Smith’s gift, which generated national headlines and a flood of calls from alumni who wanted to add to his donation, Mr. Thomas said. — New York Times, "After a Billionaire’s Pledge, Morehouse Looks to Donors to Reduce Student Debt," 13 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

However, three costly defensive errors gifted the game to the home side, leaving the manager less than pleased. — SI.com, "Ralph Hasenhüttl Raging Over Southampton Inability to Deal With Wind & Burnley's Long Balls," 11 Aug. 2019 Last March, Ne-Yo gifted a recording session with Disney Dreamer of the Year Anthony Juba-Richardson. — Cori Murray, Essence, "Ne-Yo Talks The Power of Mentorship At The National Association Of Black Journalist Conference," 10 Aug. 2019 The Ravens have gifted other teams with top-notch kickers — Stephen Hauschka and Wil Lutz — in the past. — Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, "Five Things We Learned from the Ravens’ 29-0 preseason victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars," 9 Aug. 2019 My best friend Marland Backus gifted me one of her necklace straws as well. — Tatum Dooley, Teen Vogue, "Café Forgot Opens Its Latest Pop-Up Shop at Larrie in New York," 1 Aug. 2019 Today is National Avocado Day, and in honor of this special occasion, Chipotle is gifting us all with the best kind of burrito surprise: free guac. — Currie Engel, Time, "Celebrate National Avocado Day With Free Guacamole at Chipotle," 31 July 2019 Our children gifted us with a grill that sits on the deck of our condo. — Dorothy Dworkin, sun-sentinel.com, "On a cooking strike | Opinion," 25 July 2019 Earlier in the day, J.Lo’s fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, gifted her a $140,000 Porsche convertible. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, "J.Lo’s 50th Birthday Party Is the Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of," 25 July 2019 Without the ability to create further regulation, the legal gray area on the marijuana market is gifting. — Petula Dvorak, chicagotribune.com, "DC’s new pot-infused tourism takes renting AirBnb space to another level," 24 July 2019

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.

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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

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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.