1
a
: particular, specified
at a given time
b
: assumed as actual or hypothetical : granted
given that all are equal before the law
3
: presented as a gift : bestowed without compensation
4
of an official document
: having been executed : dated
5
: immediately present in experience
: 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.
: in view of : considering
Given what she knew about others' lives, how could she complain about her own?—
Marilyn French
Marilyn FrenchExamples of given in a Sentence
Adjective
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
Noun
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Will Oremus, Washington Post, 5 June 2023
At any given moment, 2 million to 10 million Ukrainians have been living in freezing temperatures without electricity.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2022
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
There are some givens in the B’s lineup, as long as there’s good health.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for given
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Adjective
Bing, for its part, went off the rails early on, prompting Microsoft to scale back both its personality and the number of questions users could ask it in a given conversation.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 5 June 2023
At any given moment, 2 million to 10 million Ukrainians have been living in freezing temperatures without electricity.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2022
Noun
Assuming the roster gets back to full health, the givens ahead of Pelle in the rotation would be Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and, perhaps, Davion Mitchell.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
There are some givens in the B’s lineup, as long as there’s good health.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for given
Cite this Entry
“Given.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/given. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
given
1 of 2 adjective
giv·en
ˈgiv-ən 
1
: prone sense 1
given to gossiping
2
: fixed sense 1b, particular
at a given time
3
: granted as true
given that we are all equal
given
2 of 2 noun
: something taken for granted : a basic condition or assumption
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