give

verb

\ 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 infinitive you 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.

Synonyms & Antonyms 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

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.

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

Short hop Lovullo, who gave A.J. Pollock the day off on Friday, remains confident that his outfield rotation is going to pay off for the club. — Nick Piecoro, azcentral, "Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo: Initial update on Shelby Miller’s elbow positive," 13 July 2018 This was the only thing that gave me pause about The Dreamery. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "I Paid $25 For a 45-Minute Nap at NYC’s New Sleep Store—and Yes, It Was Dreamy," 13 July 2018 If Markle wears Aritzia, or picks up another mid-market label as a favorite brand, on a routine basis, that could give the prophecy of the Meghan Effect more solid ground. — Rachel King, Fortune, "Meghan Markle Is Being Credited With Boosting Aritzia's Earnings. But Is the 'Meghan Effect' Real?," 13 July 2018 David’s first appearance post-breakup was via an Instagram photo that gave a cheeky nod to the fact that her ex boyfriend had just started dating one of the most famous pop stars in the world. — Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "Why Be Engaged When You Can Be An Ex?," 13 July 2018 Mason also found the end zone twice, including on a 37-yard dash that gave Auburn a late lead before FSU pulled ahead for good. — Ben Ladner, SI.com, "The 10 Best National Championship Game Performances of the BCS Era," 13 July 2018 Andy Nelson's grand slam with no outs in the eighth gave the Falcons their second straight summer regional title. — Blake Baumgartner, Naperville Sun, "Middle men: Nick Taylor and Nolan Clifford answer call but Neuqua Valley loses in eight innings," 13 July 2018 But McCaskill’s report cites former DEA officials who gave other reasons. — Andy Marso, kansascity, "As opioids poured into Missouri, the DEA failed, McCaskill says," 12 July 2018 Callahan has reason to feel uniquely burdened, from the shattering impact and lingering trauma of his accident to his inability to forget or forgive the mother who gave him up for adoption. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Review: Joaquin Phoenix stars in the captivating addiction drama 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot'," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The satisfaction, rather, is in seeing things play out with a lot of refreshingly democratic give-and-take. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Uncle Drew': Lil Rel Howery coaches NBA all-stars to surprising win," 26 June 2018 But breakthroughs in talks will most likely involve a lot of give and take. — Eric Talmadge, Fox News, "Analysis: What to look for at US-North Korea summit," 10 June 2018 There are approximately seven fluid ounces in a double vodka tonic - give or take, depending on how generous Frontier Airlines is with the pour. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "A man's grabby hands were just the start of a Frontier plane nightmare, FBI says," 21 May 2018 The survey found the public gives Trump the benefit of the doubt, narrowly, on how to interpret the give-and-take of the summit. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump team cannot get its story straight on separating migrant families," 18 June 2018 Freeze for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the lamb is very chilled but has a little give on the surface. — Sheryl Julian, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipe: Get a skillet blazing hot and you can make Middle Eastern lamb shawarma at home," 28 May 2018 The two players born in the 21st-century, Tim Weah and Josh Sargent, demonstrated some chemistry early, linking up on a sixth-minute give-and-go that resulted in Weah’s dangerous cross to Rubio Rubin. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Young USMNT Builds on Tactical Foundation, Eases to Win Over Bolivia," 28 May 2018 The palm rest, display, touchpad, and keyboard hardly exhibit any noticeable give — there are no wobbly underside or clicking fans here. — Stefan Etienne, The Verge, "Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: jack of all trades," 2 July 2018 Carlson tied the game at 3 on an exquisite give-and-go with T.J. Oshie at 8:29 of the second period. — Adam Candee, Detroit Free Press, "Vegas Golden Knights clip Washington Capitals, 6-4, in Game 1 thriller," 29 May 2018

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.

History and Etymology for give

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish giva to give; akin to Old English giefan, gifan to give, and perhaps to Latin habēre to have, hold

Noun

see give entry 1

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