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

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 Glasnow gave up a one-out single to Winker and a two-out walk to Gallo in the fifth. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024 The short answer: those who despair and give up are believed to be more depressed than the animals that keep swimming. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024 While the apps may have algorithms that do not favor women of color, Black women should not give up hope. Essence, 15 Apr. 2024 Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, may have given up their royal duties, but not the celebrity life. Terry Spencer, Fortune Europe, 15 Apr. 2024 By nightfall, her hopes had come true; the River Cats stormed back to clinch a 10-9 victory over the Chihuahuas — a fitting comeback for a city with much bigger sports dreams, where giving up on a team is the only sign of defeat. Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024 Scott gave up a leadoff single to Ronald Acuna Jr. before recording two quick outs to get Miami one out away from a victory. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024 His father worked for Buick for over four decades and his mother was a high school teacher who gave up her job to raise John and his two siblings. Mike Householder, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024 Toby Kwon gave up one hit in six innings for Servite. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'give up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of give up was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near give up

Cite this Entry

“Give up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give%20up. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

give up

verb
1
2
: to abandon (oneself) to a feeling, influence, or activity
3

More from Merriam-Webster on give up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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