give up on (someone or something)
idiom
1
: to stop trying to improve the condition of (someone)
He has gotten in trouble many times, but his parents have never given up on him.
Please don't give up on me. I promise I'll do better.
2
: to stop having hope of seeing (someone)
We'd given up on you hours ago!
3
: to stop trying to do or achieve (something)
They have given up on their plan to build a new factory.
She hasn't given up on trying to convince her husband to buy a new car.
Examples of give up on (someone or something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Later, Ellie must decide whether to continue with her plan -and risk putting Dina in danger - or give up on her quest for justice.
—
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Around 2016, after a particularly painful breakup, the Body Work author decided to do something radical: give up on dating and give celibacy a try.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025
That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
The findings don’t mean the world should give up on climate targets, as every fraction of a degree of warming translates to worse impacts, Stokes said.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for give up on (someone or something)
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Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 May 2025
Around 2016, after a particularly painful breakup, the Body Work author decided to do something radical: give up on dating and give celibacy a try.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025
That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
The findings don’t mean the world should give up on climate targets, as every fraction of a degree of warming translates to worse impacts, Stokes said.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for give up on (someone or something)
Cite this Entry
“Give up on (someone or something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up%20on%20%28someone%20or%20something%29. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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