: a previous gain (such as an increase in wages or benefits) given back to management by workers (as in a labor contract)
gave back; given back; giving back; gives back
1
: to provide help or financial assistance to others in appreciation of one's own success or good fortune
… Gardner has refined the art of giving back by plowing 10 percent or more of his earnings into school and educational projects.—
Ernest Holsendolph
Ernest HolsendolphNo longer on the fringes of travel, voluntourism has attracted increasing numbers of travelers looking to learn new skills, meet people, and give back to the global community.—Manya Chylinski
Manya ChylinskiThe community had people with time to volunteer and give back.—Joshua Macht
Joshua MachtExamples of giveback in a Sentence
Noun
The union had to agree to certain givebacks in order to save the jobs of all its members.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gigi Schweikert, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Life sciences saw a bit of a giveback of the pandemic-era job growth that was fueled in part by a surging investment in biotech tools, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and genomics.
—Kate Murphy, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
Teresa Cerojano, Fortune, 8 July 2025
Lewis Capaldi is giving back to his fans in a big way.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for giveback
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
To keep teams aligned, regularly revisit your mission with your team through workshops, meetings, training sessions and community giveback initiatives.
—Gigi Schweikert, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Life sciences saw a bit of a giveback of the pandemic-era job growth that was fueled in part by a surging investment in biotech tools, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and genomics.
—Kate Murphy, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.9% while the Nasdaq composite also finished 0.9% lower, not too far from its own record high.
—Teresa Cerojano, Fortune, 8 July 2025
Lewis Capaldi is giving back to his fans in a big way.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for giveback
Cite this Entry
“Giveback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveback. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
giveback
noun
give·back
ˈgiv-ˌbak 
: a previous gain (as an increase in wages or benefits) given back to management by workers (as in a labor contract)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share