give

verb

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\ ˈgiv

gave\ ˈgāv

\; given\ ˈgi-vən

\; giving

Definition of give

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to make a present of give a doll to a child

2a : to grant or bestow by formal action the law gives citizens the right to vote

b : to accord or yield to another gave him her confidence

3a : to put into the possession of another for his or her use gave me his phone number

b(1) : to administer as a sacrament

(2) : to administer as a medicine

c : to commit to another as a trust or responsibility and usually for an expressed reason

d : to transfer from one's authority or custody the sheriff gave the prisoner to the warden

e : to execute and deliver all employees must give bond

f : to convey to another give them my regards

4a : to offer to the action of another : proffer gave her his hand

b dated, of a woman : to yield (oneself) to a man in sexual intercourse

5a : to present in public performance give a concert

b : to present to view or observation gave the signal to start

6 : to provide by way of entertainment give a party

7 : to propose as a toast

8a : to designate as a share or portion : allot all the earth to thee and to thy race I give— John Milton

b : to make assignment of (a name)

c : to set forth as an actual or hypothetical datum give the dimensions of the room

d : to attribute in thought or utterance : ascribe gave the credit to you

9a : to yield as a product, consequence, or effect : produce cows give milk 84 divided by 12 gives 7

b : to bring forth : bear

10a : to yield possession of by way of exchange : pay

b : to dispose of for a price : sell

11a : to deliver by some bodily action gave him a push

b : to carry out (a movement, facial expression, etc.) gave a cynical smile

c : to inflict as punishment

d : to award by formal verdict judgment was given against the plaintiff

12 : to offer for consideration, acceptance, or use gives no reason for his absence

13a : to suffer the loss of : sacrifice gallantly gave his life for his country

b : to offer as appropriate or due especially to something higher or more worthy gave his spirit to God

c : to apply freely or fully : devote gave themselves to their work

d : to offer as a pledge I give you my word

14a : to cause one to have or receive mountains always gave him pleasure

b : to cause a person to catch by contagion, infection, or exposure

15a : to allow one to have or take give me time

b : to lead or attempt to lead —used with an infinitiveyou gave me to understand you'd be late

16 : to care to the extent of didn't give a hoot

intransitive verb

1 : to make gifts or presents gave generously to charities

2a : to yield to physical force or strain

b : to collapse from the application of force or pressure The canvas chair gave under her weight.

c : to undergo or submit to change for the strike to be settled, something has to give

3 : to afford a view or passage : open the window gives onto the terrace

4 : to enter wholeheartedly into an activity

5 slang : to be happening wants to know what gives

give birth

: to have a baby gave birth last Thursday

give birth to

1 : to produce as offspring gave birth to a son

2 : to be the source of

give chase

: to set off in pursuit

give ground

: to withdraw before superior force : retreat

give of

: to make available : provide generously freely gave of their time

give or take

: as an estimate accurate within (an amount to be added or subtracted) weighs 150 pounds, give or take a few pounds

give place to

: to be replaced or succeeded by optimism gave place to worry

give rise to

: to be the cause or source of : produce

give the gun

: to open the throttle of : speed up

give the lie to

1 : to accuse of falsehood

2 : to show to be false, inaccurate, or invalid

give tongue

of hounds : to begin barking on the scent

give way

1a : retreat

b : to yield the right of way

2 : to yield oneself without restraint or control

3a : to yield to or as if to physical stress The roof gave way under heavy snow.

b : to yield to entreaty or insistence After several hours of debate, the opposition finally gave way.

4 : to yield place Farmland has given way to shopping malls.

5 : to begin to row

give

noun

Definition of give (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : capacity or tendency to yield to force or strain : flexibility

2 : the ability of a material to bend or stretch The knitted fabric has a lot of give to it.

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

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Choose the Right Synonym for give

Verb

give, present, donate, bestow, confer, afford mean to convey to another as a possession. give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means. give alms gave her a ride on a pony give my love to your mother present carries a note of formality and ceremony. present an award donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity). donate a piano to the orphanage bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver. bestow unwanted advice confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor). confer an honorary degree afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver. the trees afford shade a development that affords us some hope

Examples of give in a Sentence

Verb She gave him a camera for Christmas. Are you giving this to me or only lending it? She has given money to many worthy causes. They're asking people to give money for a new hospital. Please give to our charity. We already gave at the office. It is better to give than to receive. He gave me the letter. He gave her his coat to hold. He gave me a head start.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Bar and restaurant owners have said there’s no scientific justification behind requiring them to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. and give customers until 11 p.m. to finish their drinks. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose shortens election ballot timeline; Democrats push back: The Wake Up for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020," 21 Oct. 2020 For the one who hates waxing: This useful back shaver Stumped on the best gift to give your boyfriend? — Shayna Murphy, USA TODAY, "45 weird but practical gifts people will actually use," 21 Oct. 2020 Joe Aresimwovcz, Berlin’s head coach, hopes that even playing a few games in the league will give his players enough film to send to college coaches. — Shawn Mcfarland, courant.com, "With no fall high school football, how has recruiting been impacted for players with college aspirations?," 21 Oct. 2020 Owner Lucy Wing was a successful food writer and editor in New York before returning to her hometown of Superior to give something back. — Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, "Hungry? Here are Arizona's best hidden gem restaurants outside of Phoenix," 21 Oct. 2020 These are concrete proposals that give restraint a clear meaning and make the end of primacy easier to envision. — Daniel Bessner, The New Republic, "America Has No Duty to Rule the World," 21 Oct. 2020 The wipes came to market in 2000 when the company was trying to figure out how to give users an easier way to apply disinfectant. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, "How Clorox’s new CEO plans to turn disinfectant wipes into future wins," 21 Oct. 2020 Districts can discontinue remote learning altogether, and must give parents at least a 14-day notice of it. — Krista Torralva, ExpressNews.com, "As students drift, some rural school districts outside San Antonio are canceling remote learning," 21 Oct. 2020 One way of addressing the problem is to use questions that give as little away as possible about what researchers expect by using what are called implicit measures. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "Hypnosis Experts Cast Doubt on Famous Psychological Experiments," 21 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Trousers with enough give for the conga, for going loco in Acapulco. — Raven Smith, Vogue, "The Minimalist Magic of Katie Holmes," 22 Oct. 2020 The 2017 tax give-away appears to have led to an increase in share buybacks at the expense of federal revenue and corporate investment. — Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, "How Corporations Scam Their Shareholders and Screw Over Workers," 28 Sep. 2020 The free food give-ways are first come, first serve and start each day at 9 a.m. and continue until supplies are depeleted. — Jeff Forward, Houston Chronicle, "YMCAs in Woodlands hosting blood donation events through December," 16 Sep. 2020 United, American, Spirit, Frontier and others do not guarantee this, although several give travelers the option of switching to another flight for free if their flight exceeds certain capacity thresholds. — Susan Glaser, cleveland, "Mandatory masks, crowded planes, empty middle seats: U.S. airlines take different approaches to flying during a pandemic," 4 Aug. 2020 The amount of stretching doesn’t have to feel equal in every single moment—sometimes one person will require more from the friendship than the other—but over time, the give has to even out with the take. — NBC News, "'Call Your Girlfriend' hosts: Why you should apply the 'stretching principle' to your most important friendships," 3 Aug. 2020 Simple things like new towels in their favorite color, a cozy pillow with the right amount of give, or even using the same-fabric sheets as their bed at home can be the most comforting. — Kate Reggev, Good Housekeeping, "5 Soothing Design Details That’ll Keep Your College Student Calm," 15 July 2020 FIlppula finished the give-and-go with a backhand shot. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings' suffering continues with 5-1 loss to Penguins," 16 Feb. 2020 The court has never before heard a case by phone, a move that some lawyers fear will degrade the quality of the arguments and the spirited give-and-take of the courtroom. — Adam Liptak, New York Times, "Virus Pushes a Staid Supreme Court Into Revolutionary Changes," 3 May 2020

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

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Last Updated

24 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Give.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give. Accessed 30 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for give

give

verb

\ ˈgiv

gave\ ˈgāv \; given\ ˈgiv-ən \; giving

Kids Definition of give

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to hand over to be kept : present He gave her a present.

2 : to cause to have Don't give me trouble.

3 : to let someone or something have give permission

4 : to offer for consideration or acceptance Can you give an example?

5 : utter entry 2 give a yell give a speech

6 : furnish sense 2, provide give support The candle gives light. I'm giving a party.

7 : pay entry 1 sense 1 She gave me 20 dollars for my old skates.

8 : to deliver by some bodily action I gave her a hug.

9 : to yield as a product : produce Two plus two gives four.

10 : to yield slightly The mattress gave under our weight.

give in

: to stop trying to fight I begged Mom for permission till she gave in.

give out

1 : tell sense 6 Don't give out your phone number.

2 : to stop working The car finally gave out.

give up

1 : to let go of He gave up his seat to an elderly woman.

2 : quit Oh, I give up trying to reason with you.

give way

1 : to break down : collapse The bridge gave way.

2 : to be unable to resist No one gave way to fear.

give

noun

Kids Definition of give (Entry 2 of 2)

: the ability to be bent or stretched The rope was tight, but still had some give.

Choose the Right Synonym for give

Verb

give, present, and donate mean to hand over to someone without looking for a return. give can be used of anything that is delivered in any way. Please give me your coat. I gave a friend a gift. present is used when something is given with some ceremony. They presented a trophy to the winner. donate is used for giving to a charity. Some kind person donated the toys.