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give up

verb
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gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

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 ondon't give up on the project
give up the ghost
: to cease to live or function : die
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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 The Buckeyes scored 10 points that period, a fine showing against a defense that does not give up many. — New York Times, "Alabama routs Ohio State to win the national championship.," 12 Jan. 2021 Here’s what a monthlong challenge to give up alcohol taught one millennial woman whose life revolved around going to shows where booze typically flows until closing. — Stephanie Reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "Alcohol, weed, drugs and your health during the COVID-19 pandemic," 17 Dec. 2020 The Razorbacks also became the sixth SEC team to give up at least 50 points in three conference games in one season, joining Sewanee in 1936, Vanderbilt in 1979, South Carolina in 1995, Kentucky in 1997 and Arkansas in 2019. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "SEC Football by the Numbers: Top 10 from Week 12," 15 Dec. 2020 Now, with the Covid-19 pandemic rummaging the economy, experts believe the central bank is not in a position to give up on its aggressive focus on growth. — Prathamesh Mulye, Quartz India, "What has Modi’s handpicked central bank chief accomplished two years in?," 14 Dec. 2020 One of the worst shots a defense can give up is a free throw. — Christian Clark, NOLA.com, "Stan Van has a plan: How the Pelicans' new coach will try to lead a defensive turnaround," 5 Dec. 2020 The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only NFL team to give up fewer sacks than the Packers this season. — Steve Megargee, Star Tribune, "Packers' versatile offensive line keeps overcoming injuries," 4 Dec. 2020 Whichever player steps up should do well against the Bengals, who give up the third-most rushing yards per game this season. — Safid Deen, sun-sentinel.com, "Who has the edge? Dolphins vs. Bengals," 3 Dec. 2020 But defense that didn't give up more than 31 points in 2019 is still a concern given Buffalo has been burned for 32+ four times already in 2020. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "NFL power rankings: Who rates as best and worst teams in lowly NFC East?," 24 Nov. 2020

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.

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First Known Use of give up

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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Time Traveler for give up

Time Traveler

The first known use of give up was in the 13th century

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Statistics for give up

Last Updated

21 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Give up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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More from Merriam-Webster on give up

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for give up

Nglish: Translation of give up for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of give up for Arabic Speakers

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