give up

verb

Definition of give up

transitive verb

1 : to yield control or possession of : surrender forced to give up his job

2 : to desist from : abandon refused to give up her efforts

3 : to declare incurable or insoluble

4a : to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity gave himself up to despair

b : to devote to a particular purpose or use

5 : to despair of seeing we'd given you up

6 : to allow (a hit or run in baseball) while pitching

intransitive verb

: to cease doing or attempting something especially as an admission of defeat : quit —often used with on don't give up on the project

give up the ghost

: to cease to live or function : die

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about give up

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Examples of give up in a Sentence

was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment I hope you won't give up playing the piano.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year was a transition season behind promising starting guards Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, as Denver parted ways with 36-year-old Jameer Nelson and then gave up on Emmanuel Mudiay by trading the 2015 lottery pick to New York. — Ben Golliver, SI.com, "Grades: Isaiah Thomas Can Rejuvenate Career in Nuggets' Low-Risk Gamble," 13 July 2018 Kelly had completely overhauled his coaching staff in the offseason with seven new hires, gave up play-calling responsibilities and took full responsibility for an embarrassing year. — Laken Litman, Indianapolis Star, "Best- and worst-case scenarios for Notre Dame football in 2018," 2 July 2018 The Washington Post reported Howard will give up $5 million of his $23.5 million salary for next season to become a free agent, rather than join the rebuilding Nets. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "If Dwight Howard accepted a $5 million buyout, did Charlotte Hornets make right move?," 7 July 2018 Orlando has given up five goals during its past two matches and 13 during their past seven. — Jordan Culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando Pride coach, players say club lacks cohesion after back-to-back losses," 3 July 2018 For an increasing number of policy makers and North Korea watchers in Washington, this all raises a thorny question: What can the U.S. do about a North Korean state that may never give up its nuclear weapons? — Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, "The U.S. May Have to Rethink Its Approach to North Korea," 22 Jan. 2019 About a woman, Claire, the Outlander of the title for God's sake, who's given up a comfortable life in the 20th century to return to the love of her life. — Outlander Fan, Marie Claire, "'Outlander' Season 4 Episode 12 Recap: 5 Biggest Takeaways," 21 Jan. 2019 Besides fasting, some Christians give up luxuries or perform an act of good each day during Lent. — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, "When Is Lent? Here's Everything You Need to Know," 11 Jan. 2019 Investors like Tiger aren’t giving up any shares for this payment, Recode is told. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "In an extraordinary move, Juul is trying to make peace with its investors and employees by paying them more than $4 billion," 21 Dec. 2018

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