giveback

noun

give·back | \ ˈgiv-ˌbak

Definition of giveback

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a previous gain (such as an increase in wages or benefits) given back to management by workers (as in a labor contract)

give back

verb

gave back; given back; giving back; gives back

Definition of give back (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to provide help or financial assistance to others in appreciation of one's own success or good fortune … Gardner has refined the art of giving back by plowing 10 percent or more of his earnings into school and educational projects.— Ernest Holsendolph No longer on the fringes of travel, voluntourism has attracted increasing numbers of travelers looking to learn new skills, meet people, and give back to the global community.— Manya Chylinski The community had people with time to volunteer and give back.— Joshua Macht

2 archaic : retire, retreat … the enemy gave back …— P. G. Wodehouse … it is certain that he gave back and ordered his soldiers to commence a slow and guarded retreat.— Nathaniel Hawthorne

Examples of giveback in a Sentence

Noun

The union had to agree to certain givebacks in order to save the jobs of all its members.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The idea was simple: give back unneeded money to the taxpayers and provide incentives for lawmakers to increase that giveback by holding down spending, according to news accounts at the time. — Rich Exner, cleveland.com, "Ohio used to simply refund money to taxpayers when it collected too much," 18 June 2019 Accounted for in this year’s budget is about $10 million in corporate donations and another $10 million in union givebacks. — Matthew Ormseth, Courant Community, "With Council Approval, Hartford's $570 Million Budget Heads To Oversight Panel," 30 May 2018 Those savings stem from givebacks in new union contracts agreed to over the last two years. — Jenna Carlesso, Courant Community, "Five Takeaways From Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin's New Budget," 17 Apr. 2018 Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, isn't up for election until the fall of 2019, and as such, may have more reason to try to extend negotiations in an effort to lessen any givebacks. — Don Lee, latimes.com, "Trump is pushing hard to reach NAFTA agreement, both with trading partners and with Congress," 24 Apr. 2018 Most of Hartford’s unions have agreed to substantial givebacks over the last two years, but the city is still negotiating with two groups. — Jenna Carlesso, Courant Community, "Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin's Budget Will Face New Scrutiny From Oversight Board," 15 Apr. 2018 Bronin’s budget includes $10 million in savings from union givebacks that were agreed to over the last two years. — Jenna Carlesso, Courant Community, "Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin Releases Spending Plan Amid State Scrutiny," 16 Apr. 2018 Teachers and administrators have already agreed to givebacks in their contracts, including a higher deductible for health insurance, said McKenna. — Janice Steinhagen, Courant Community, "Plainfield, Griswold Grapple With ECS Funding Cuts," 14 Dec. 2017 In his letter to Malloy and lawmakers, Bronin has asked the state to help the city put pressure on bondholders by making new money contingent on Wall Street givebacks. — Jenna Carlesso, Courant Community, "Bond Insurer: Hartford Bankruptcy Would Be 'Black Eye' For State," 25 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

For my wife that meant giving back to a community that gave her family so much and for me that meant dedicating my life to being a part of the Oakland community. — Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, "Tribune Tavern reopens in Oakland’s landmark tower," 13 Sep. 2019 Her commitment to giving back comes from her father who always encouraged her to help others. — Aisha Salaudeen, CNN, "This 15-year-old biker took on a men's world of Motocross and left them in the dust," 9 Sep. 2019 So while some fans may be too heartbroken to want to attend a game this season, now is their chance to give back to those in the community while also keeping their money. — Khadrice Rollins, SI.com, "Jaguars Long Snapper Offers to Buy Colts Fans' Season Tickets, Donate to Hospital," 26 Aug. 2019 Ultimately, Heald nods to the fact that those with the means to visit Everest should be giving back, both by paying more for permits and being subject to tighter regulations. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "Nepal Is Banning Single-Use Plastics on Mount Everest," 23 Aug. 2019 One of the city's signature summertime events rolled out in various neighborhoods Saturday to give back and celebrate Detroit, with two new areas: health and art. — Dixita Limbachia, Detroit Free Press, "13th annual ARISE Detroit!: 'It's about building a neighborhood' through health, art," 3 Aug. 2019 Tiger Woods is using his successes to help give back to those who need it most. — Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE.com, "Tiger Woods Teams with Justin Timberlake and More to Launch Fund to Help Bahamas Hurricane Relief," 12 Sep. 2019 For nearly two decades, River Forest residents have been giving back to their community and local non-profit organizations one glass of lemonade at a time. — Steve Schering, chicagotribune.com, "River Forest’s annual LemonAid fundraiser to benefit Hephzibah, Beat the Streets," 10 Sep. 2019 Twenty five teachers from the Gordon School of Beth David Congregation in Miami spent a day during the week before the 2019-20 school year began giving back to the community. — Sergio Carmona, sun-sentinel.com, "Miami teachers practice tikkun olam with street clean-up," 22 Aug. 2019

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