give out

verb

gave out; given out; giving out; gives out

transitive verb

1

a

: declare, publish

… giving out that the doctor … required a few days of complete rest.

—Charles Dickens

b

: to read aloud the words of (a hymn or psalm) for congregational singing

2

: emit

gave out a constant hum

3

: issue

gave out new uniforms

intransitive verb

1

: break down, fail

2

: to become exhausted : collapse

Synonyms of give out

• announce
• publish
• declare
• run with
• proclaim
• post
• advertise

Examples of give out in a Sentence

that's information that I'm not prepared to give out

this heater gives out a funny smell sometimes

Recent Examples on the Web

On Friday the men ventured farther out than usual — about a football field’s length from the shore — when the ice gave out. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026

Best Thing to Watch on TV today There are only five sports that give out medals on Saturday. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

People are giving out hand warmers and buying coffees for people. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Feb. 2026

Iwa was slower than the rest of them, the moon was out but wasn’t giving out enough light to navigate all the rocks. —Jasmin 'iolani Hakes, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for give out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

give out

verb

1

: emit sense 1

2

: to become exhausted : collapse

3

: break down sense 1

4

: to pass out : issue

give out the new books