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

Phrases

give up the ghost

: to cease to live or function : die

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

In both cases, Lindner was instructed to give up his guns. —David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Nov. 2025

After all, the creditor has already given up on collecting what's owed. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2025

Hamas fighters would be reluctant to give up light weapons to protect themselves from other groups in Gaza seeking retribution. —Tim Lister, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025

Rather than forcing Maduro to give up power immediately—a demand that has repeatedly proved unrealistic—the goal with such a deal would be to incentivize his government to gradually yet meaningfully democratize. —Francisco Rodríguez, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2025

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