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

Leedy, who will turn 50 next week, bought them gifts. — Keith Bierygolick, Cincinnati.com, "He pretended to be a pastor; he pleaded guilty to sex abuse: ‘Get him away from your kids’," 20 June 2019 Then, in the 95th minute a mistake from Crystal Palace starlet Aaron Wan-Bissaka saw him divert an effort into his own net to gift France all three points. — SI.com, "UEFA European Under-21 Championship Roundup: Croatia Slump Against Romania & England Lose Late On," 19 June 2019 Not only that—any donation greater than $14,000 will trigger a gift tax. — Quentin Fottrell, Town & Country, "GoFundMe Has Revolutionized How We Give, But Is That a Good Thing?," 19 June 2019 His father, a sailor turned enforcer for a New York construction union, had little use for his son’s intellectual gifts. — Christine Biederman, WIRED, "Inside Backpage.com’s Vicious Battle With the Feds," 18 June 2019 Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of bribery and breach of public trust for allegedly accepting lavish gifts from rich friends and promoting desired legislation in exchange for favorable media coverage. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israel’s prime minister, sentenced for corruption," 16 June 2019 Her co-star’s thoughts on gifts are more theoretical. — Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, "These Two TV Stars Are Making Their Hallmark Channel Debut," 15 June 2019 Everyone had a fabulous time and purchased custom Easter gifts at the Boutique for their special people. — Helen Williams, nola.com, "Timberlane commission stays busy to protect future of country club," 14 June 2019 This extraordinary gift designed by God himself was dispatched to her parents, Minister Lisa White-Smith and Steven Marcell Hooker on May 13, 1987. — courant.com, "Fanchon Alise Hooker," 12 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

For almost four decades, the senior class at Gardena High School would come together to gift a work of art to their school — including pieces by notable California painters such as Edgar Payne and Maynard Dixon. — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, "Datebook: A museum show explores what was showing on TV in the days of the U.S.S.R.," 20 June 2019 The Sounders finally broke through in the 44th minute after Renzo Zambrano committed a bad foul at the top of the box to gift Seattle a dangerous free kick. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive.com, "Brian Fernandez leads Portland Timbers to 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders in fourth round of U.S. Open Cup," 12 June 2019 The host nation had led through Valerie Gauvin's 46th minute strike before French defender Wendie Renard inexplicably put through her own goal to gift Norway a route back into the contest. — James Masters, CNN, "France beats Norway at Women's World Cup after VAR controversy," 12 June 2019 After seven years, the two are reunited (and now living completely different lives and lifestyles) when Karl gifts Danny with Striking Vipers X — and the brand new VR console to use with the game. — Rachel Paige, refinery29.com, "Black Mirror's Mortal Kombat-Style Video Game Is An Homage & An Easter Egg," 7 June 2019 Prudie described her grandson as naturally gifted at the sport. — Juliana Kim, baltimoresun.com, "At vigil for Baltimore 17-year-old, tributes to a dirt bike rider who inspired a neighborhood," 6 June 2019 Now, Chucky is back in this remake, which stars Aubrey Plaza as a young mother named Karen who gifts her young son a robotic doll named Andy, unaware of its sinister potential. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Mark Hamill's Chucky asks 'Are we having fun?' in first Child's Play clip," 4 June 2019 Rubio’s has celebrated World Oceans Day for eight years, gifting more than 160,000 reusable bags. — Jessica Yadegaran, The Mercury News, "Freebie Monday: Rubios giving out free insulated lunch bags," 3 June 2019 Prince William and Duchess Kate were gifted with the 10-bedroom Anmer Hall on Queen Elizabeth’s private Sandringham Estate after their nuptials—and is likely to carry on the tradition with Harry and Meghan. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "What to Know About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Former Cotswolds Home," 17 May 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.