give up

verb

gave up; given up; giving up; gives 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
4
a
: 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
Phrases
give up the ghost
: to cease to live or function : die

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 Still, the Pioneers gave up only one goal in the Summit League during the regular season. Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2024 Still, Amos did not give up his dream of playing pro football, signing his first free-agent contract with the Broncos. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Oct. 2024 The Vikings defense may have given up 22 points in the fourth quarter, but that unit took the ball away from the Packers four times, including three interceptions and a crucial fumble recovery by Cam Bynum. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 Temporary workers hired during election season give up their phones before entering the warehouse. Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for give up 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of give up was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near give up

Cite this Entry

“Give up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

give up

verb
1
2
: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity
3

More from Merriam-Webster on give up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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