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 Gaines found that using his storytelling gifts meant more than militant civil rights action. — NBC News, "'A Louisiana treasure': Acclaimed novelist Ernest Gaines dies at 86," 7 Nov. 2019 Gaines found that using his storytelling gifts meant more than militant civil rights action. — Chevel Johnson And Rebecca Santana, chicagotribune.com, "‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’ author Ernest Gaines dies at 86," 7 Nov. 2019 Whatever your creative gift or passion, why not tell your story? — courant.com, "Community News For The Wethersfield Edition," 7 Nov. 2019 She is known for her gifts in traditional dance, jingle dance and Native-American flute. — Gabrielle Copeland Schoeffield, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "West Carroll: Veterans to be honored with flute and dance performance, VFW Post event, Wreaths Across America," 6 Nov. 2019 Gaines found that using his storytelling gifts meant more than militant civil rights action. — Washington Post, "Acclaimed novelist Ernest Gaines dies at 86," 5 Nov. 2019 Kentucky has grown its fair share of celebrities who have gone on to share their gifts with the world. — Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky native Chris Stapleton is a soulful powerhouse at sold-out Louisville show," 3 Nov. 2019 Does anyone really think Tori Spelling got her gigs because of her thespian gifts? — Daniel Mendelsohn, Town & Country, "Nepotism: A User’s Guide," 30 Oct. 2019 And here’s my special gift to all of my ride or dies! — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "Selena Gomez Shares Her 'Special Gift,' Selenators Erupt," 24 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There was also the Miami condo Kanye gifted Kim for Christmas for $14 million. — Jennifer Fernandez, House Beautiful, "Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Just Bought Another House," 5 Nov. 2019 Their base allowance can go into different containers for spending, saving, investing and gifting. — Meg St-esprit, chicagotribune.com, "How to talk to your kids about money when you don’t have a traditional job," 4 Nov. 2019 The visitors then gifted a second penalty to the home side, Mario Rui handling in the box from a Javier Pastore cross, and this time Jordan Veretout made no mistake, doubling Roma's advantage. — SI.com, "Roma 2-1 Napoli: Report, Ratings & Reaction as I Giallorossi Hold on to Earn Valuable 3 Points," 2 Nov. 2019 Schiller, also on hand to sign copies of his 2012 book Marilyn & Me: A Photographer’s Memories, offered up his own theory on who originally gifted the Blancpain watch to Monroe. — Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, "Naomi Watts Admires Marilyn Monroe's "Great Strength," $225K Diamond Watch," 31 Oct. 2019 But the giving season isn’t just about gifting cool things to our friends and family. — Teen Vogue, "36 Gifts That Give Back 2019," 30 Oct. 2019 In a first quarter of Brownsing that was epic even by the Browns’ perennial standard of football folly, the Patriots were all but gifted a three-score lead, Cleveland turning the ball over on three consecutive snaps. — BostonGlobe.com, "And early on, this game was following that Patriot script.," 28 Oct. 2019 The halftime score, however, was close at 21-10, helped in part by a Desmond Ridder interception that gifted the Cougars a field goal. — Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, "College football 3 keys and prediction: No. 21 UC Bearcats vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane," 18 Oct. 2019 In 2014, however, an unsmoked Cuban cigar gifted to a carpenter who worked at the politician’s estate failed to sell at auction. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "A Cigar Puffed by Winston Churchill Is Set to Go on Auction," 18 Oct. 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.

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