SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

give over

verb

Definition of give over

transitive verb

1 :cease

2 :entrust

3 a :to yield without restraint or control :abandon

gave themselves over to laughter

b :to set apart for a particular purpose or use

4 archaic :to pronounce incurable

intransitive verb

British :to cease an activity :stop

told him to give over and let me alone
—Brendan Behan

Examples of give over in a Sentence

his wife suggested that he give over working such long hours if it was making him so unhappy
gave over his entire savings to an investor

First Known Use of give over

14th century

give over Synonyms

Synonyms

break, break off, break up, can [slang], cease, cut off, cut out, desist (from), discontinue, drop, end, stop, halt, knock off, lay off, leave off, pack (up or in), quit, shut off

Antonyms

hold, keep, retain

Related Words

complete, conclude, finish; close (down); deactivate; block, blockade, dam, delay, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, kibosh, obstruct, stem; call, suspend; arrest, brake, check, clamp down, rein (in), squash, squelch, stamp, stanch (or staunch), stunt, suppress, turn back; pause, stay, suspend; abolish, abort, annul, demolish, destroy, dissolve, kill, ruin, scuttle, snuff

Near Antonyms

carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep up, run on; advance, proceed, progress; actuate, drive, impel, propel, stir

Learn More about give over

See words that rhyme with give over Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for give over

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up give over? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

broadside

play

a strongly worded attack

BROWSE DICTIONARY

give on to

give out

give over

give over to

give precedence to

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59c94ad823f29

'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

alt-59c919f342079

'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

alt-59c52d6ee2f72

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106

Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game

Examples: give over in a Sentence