give up

verb

gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

transitive verb

1

: to yield control or possession of : surrender

forced to give up his job

2

: to desist from : abandon

refused to give up her efforts

3

: to declare incurable or insoluble

4

a

: to abandon (oneself) to a particular feeling, influence, or activity

gave himself up to despair

b

: to devote to a particular purpose or use

5

: to despair of seeing

we'd given you up

6

: to allow (a hit or run in baseball) while pitching

intransitive verb

: to cease doing or attempting something especially as an admission of defeat : quit

—often used with on

don't give up on the project

see also:

give up the ghost

Synonyms of give up

• relinquish
• surrender
• deliver
• render
• turn in

Examples of give up in a Sentence

was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment

I hope you won't give up playing the piano.

Recent Examples on the Web

The 29-year-old left-hander gave up two runs in five innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

But those who can't swing an international trip don't have to give up their dreams of sipping a glass of wine in a charming seaside town. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 29 July 2026

The pursuit of Watkins, who will need to be convinced to give up her final year of college eligibility, should be the organization’s most important priority. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Robinhood’s stock, meanwhile, initially jumped on the earnings report but then gave up those gains. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for give up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

give up

verb

1

: surrender entry 1 sense 1

2

: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity

3

: stop entry 1 sense 7a