give·away
ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā 
plural giveaways
1
: an unintentional revelation or betrayal
2
a
: something given away free
specifically
: premium sense 1d
b
: the act of giving something away free
staging a promotional giveaway
3
: a radio or television program on which prizes are given away
4
sports
: an error or poor play that allows an opponent to gain control of the ball or puck : a mistake that results in a turnover
As a team the Dolphins have committed a league-low 12 giveaways.—
Jim Trotter
Jim Trotter
gave away; given away; giving away; gives away
1
: to make a present of
2
: to deliver (a bride) ceremonially to the bridegroom at a wedding
4
: to give (something, such as weight) by way of a handicap
Synonyms
Examples of giveaway in a Sentence
Noun
The way she looked at him was a dead giveaway that they were more than just friends.
The store is offering coffee mugs as free giveaways to attract new customers.
The store is staging a promotional giveaway to attract new customers.
Verb
the insincerity of his apology was given away by that slight smirk on his face
gave away all her potted plants when she moved
Recent Examples on the WebAndy Kessler, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023
Phone accessory maker PopSockets will now let people design their phone grips with AI via Stable Diffusion and award up to $100,000 in a holiday giveaway for the best designs.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 7 Nov. 2023
An anti-police activist who was involved in a physical altercation with Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin De León at a holiday toy giveaway has filed a lawsuit against De León and the city, saying the event did not have sufficient security to protect the public.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
So to launch the campaign, Barefoot has a major giveaway Swifties can get excited about.
—Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
The event will feature carnival games, special characters, a youth costume contest, giveaways and more.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2023
Click here to view the form and enter the giveaway (or use the form embedded below).
—WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023
The fair will conclude with a food giveaway sponsored by First Ward Living Grace Food Pantry.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Nov. 2023
And today, technology is maturing to the point that meaningful amounts of these energy giveaways can be harvested to liberate wearables from ever needing a battery.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Nov. 2023
Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 14 Nov. 2023
Scott has given away at least $14.4 billion since receiving a 4% stake in Amazon as part of the 2019 divorce settlement.
—Jemima McEvoy, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Since making her Giving Pledge in 2019, Scott has given away more than $14 billion to more than 1,600 non-profit organizations focused on solving a variety of problems, as well as universities, according to the Yield Giving page.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023
The screen can also show other content, like sports scores or the weather, but its primary gimmick is that the device is given away for free.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Art has definitely given away to commerce in a lot of situations.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023
Like previous years, the television personality gave away $250,000 to Black entrepreneurs in partnership with the NAACP and the show’s sponsors.
—Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
One of Disneyland’s first major Halloween events occurred in 1959 with a parade of pumpkins, in which Disneyland gave away 1,000 pumpkins to be carved or dressed up for a contest.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023
Both sides are fearful that giving away too much on AI will come back to haunt them as these technologies rapidly develop.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
And given high prices for EVs, subsidies are mainly a giveaway to the already well-off.
—Andy Kessler, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023
Phone accessory maker PopSockets will now let people design their phone grips with AI via Stable Diffusion and award up to $100,000 in a holiday giveaway for the best designs.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 7 Nov. 2023
An anti-police activist who was involved in a physical altercation with Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin De León at a holiday toy giveaway has filed a lawsuit against De León and the city, saying the event did not have sufficient security to protect the public.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
So to launch the campaign, Barefoot has a major giveaway Swifties can get excited about.
—Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
The event will feature carnival games, special characters, a youth costume contest, giveaways and more.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2023
Click here to view the form and enter the giveaway (or use the form embedded below).
—WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023
The fair will conclude with a food giveaway sponsored by First Ward Living Grace Food Pantry.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Nov. 2023
And today, technology is maturing to the point that meaningful amounts of these energy giveaways can be harvested to liberate wearables from ever needing a battery.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Nov. 2023
Verb
The books will be given away at concerts that Pink, whose real name is Alecia Hart, is hosting in Southern Florida.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 14 Nov. 2023
Scott has given away at least $14.4 billion since receiving a 4% stake in Amazon as part of the 2019 divorce settlement.
—Jemima McEvoy, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Since making her Giving Pledge in 2019, Scott has given away more than $14 billion to more than 1,600 non-profit organizations focused on solving a variety of problems, as well as universities, according to the Yield Giving page.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023
The screen can also show other content, like sports scores or the weather, but its primary gimmick is that the device is given away for free.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Art has definitely given away to commerce in a lot of situations.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023
Like previous years, the television personality gave away $250,000 to Black entrepreneurs in partnership with the NAACP and the show’s sponsors.
—Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023
One of Disneyland’s first major Halloween events occurred in 1959 with a parade of pumpkins, in which Disneyland gave away 1,000 pumpkins to be carved or dressed up for a contest.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023
Both sides are fearful that giving away too much on AI will come back to haunt them as these technologies rapidly develop.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'giveaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing giveaway
Dictionary Entries Near giveaway
Cite this Entry
“Giveaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveaway. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
giveaway
1 of 2 noun
give·away
ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā
1
: an unintentional act of revealing or betraying
his expression was a dead giveaway of his guilt
2
: something that is given away free
3
: an event at which things are given away
More from Merriam-Webster on giveaway
Nglish: Translation of giveaway for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about giveaway
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