giveaway

1 of 2

noun

give·​away ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce giveaway (audio)
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

give away

2 of 2

verb

gave away; given away; giving away; gives away

transitive verb

1
: to make a present of
2
: to deliver (a bride) ceremonially to the bridegroom at a wedding
3
4
: to give (something, such as weight) by way of a handicap

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 Web
Noun
The giveaway at the stadium exits will begin in the seventh inning. Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2024 The concern of missing out on the giveaway could prompt fans to leave before the end of the final MLB pitch in Oakland. Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 20 Sep. 2024
Verb
Forrester joined High Country Moms − a private Facebook group with nearly 4,000 members − over a decade ago, mainly as a place to give away her children's old toys, clothes and books. Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024 Instead, the vast majority of the almost $1 Billion that taxpayers gave away in vouchers last year went to families already sending their children to private schools. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for giveaway 

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

First Known Use

Noun

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of giveaway was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near giveaway

Cite this Entry

“Giveaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveaway. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

giveaway

1 of 2 noun
give·​away ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce giveaway (audio)
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

give away

2 of 2 verb
ˌgiv-ə-ˈwā
1
: to present (a bride) to the bridegroom at a wedding
2
a
: to show unintentionally

More from Merriam-Webster on giveaway

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