given

adjective giv·en \ ˈgi-vən \

|Updated on: 4 Jul 2018

Examples: given in a Sentence

Definition of given

1 : prone, disposed

given to swearing

2 : presented as a gift : bestowed without compensation

3 a : particular, specified

at a given time

b : assumed as actual or hypothetical : granted

given that all are equal before the law

4 of an official document : having been executed : dated

5 : immediately present in experience

See given defined for English-language learners

See given defined for kids

Examples of given in a Sentence

a quiet man not given to loud expressions of emotion
candidates for the quiz show must complete the qualifying test within a given amount of time

Recent Examples of given from the Web

Those in the study had to assess whether a given face was a threat or not.

— helen shen, Scientific American, "The Despondent Mind: Are Our Brains Wired for Doom and Gloom?," 28 June 2018
At any given wedding or patio party, there are so many whiskering about the shoulders.

— maggie lange, The Cut, "Some Thoughts on the Tassel Earring," 28 June 2018
And figuring out how much any given service will cost — important details to people with high-deductible plans — can be nearly impossible, even for people such as Tahir, who has years of experience dealing with insurers through her private practice.

— sarah gantz, Philly.com, "A bundle of joy, a pile of bills: Childbirth can cost thousands in out-of-pocket expenses," 13 June 2018
And the third term is where the action is, incorporating the energy needed to walk at a given speed, with the effect of gradient and terrain included—in this case, an extra 450 calories per hour.

— alex hutchinson, Outside Online, "The Ultimate Backpacking Calorie Estimator," 6 June 2018
The coalition won, sort of: in 2009, Maine’s legislature passed a law that divided Cobscook Bay into sectors and prevented harvesters from hauling away more than 17 percent of the rockweed from any given area each year.

— ben goldfarb, Smithsonian, "How Seaweed Connects Us All," 31 May 2018
Lowering emissions standards is a backdoor way to force higher fuel efficiency on automobiles, because the lower the emissions, the better mileage any given car gets.

— ed wallace, star-telegram, "Getting Mileage Out of Jobs," 26 May 2018
At any given moment, there are approximately three to five face mists on my desk.

— rachel jacoby zoldan, SELF, "Does Face Mist Actually Do Anything for Your Skin?," 25 May 2018
Pay-per-view weeks should have a much better flow The current setup of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live on Tuesdays leaves a big gap between the go-home SmackDown and any given pay-per-view on a Sunday evening.

— nick schwartz, For The Win, "What SmackDown's potential move to Fox could mean for WWE fans," 22 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'given.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of given

see ¹give

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

given Synonyms

given

noun

Definition of given

: something given; especially : something taken for granted : a basic condition or assumption

It is a given that we are in an age of relentless competition.

See given defined for English-language learners

Examples of given in a Sentence

In our system it is a given that all are equal before the law.
it's a given that television viewers are influenced by advertising, even consciously or subconsciously