give out

verb

gave out; given out; giving out; gives out

transitive verb

1

a

: declare, publish

… giving out that the doctor … required a few days of complete rest.

—Charles Dickens

b

: to read aloud the words of (a hymn or psalm) for congregational singing

2

: emit

gave out a constant hum

3

: issue

gave out new uniforms

intransitive verb

1

: break down, fail

2

: to become exhausted : collapse

Synonyms of give out

• announce
• publish
• declare
• run with
• proclaim
• post
• advertise

Examples of give out in a Sentence

that's information that I'm not prepared to give out

this heater gives out a funny smell sometimes

Recent Examples on the Web

Crow, who released her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club in 1993, was the 2026 recipient of the BMI Troubadour Award, an annual honor given out by the performing-rights organization each September in Nashville. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

When the air conditioner stops cooling or the water heater gives out, the repair itself is only part of the problem. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

Rather than seeding by qualifying time, athletes get to choose their preferred lane in advance, and these are then given out based on world ranking. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Carter was recently named a finalist for the David Prize, an award given out by the Walentas Family Foundation (the same family behind the developer Two Trees) to New Yorkers with ideas for solving local problems. — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for give out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

give out

verb

1

: emit sense 1

2

: to become exhausted : collapse

3

: break down sense 1

4

: to pass out : issue

give out the new books