give up

verb

Save Word

gave up; given up; giving up; gives up

Definition of give 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

4a : 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

give up the ghost

: to cease to live or function : die

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about give up

Keep scrolling for more

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 Biden administration next week will launch a funeral assistance program that will give up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs of each American who died of COVID-19 - the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government. — Author: Mary Jordan, Kevin Sullivan, Anchorage Daily News, "Biden administration to launch massive funeral assistance program for families hit by COVID-19," 7 Apr. 2021 The Biden administration next week will launch a funeral assistance program that will give up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs of each American who died of covid-19 — the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government. — Washington Post, "Biden administration to launch massive funeral assistance program for covid victims," 6 Apr. 2021 However, there is one area that the city does give up — property tax revenue. — Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Encinitas to join special housing authority to create ‘middle income’ rental units," 31 Mar. 2021 But Freedom and Solidarity rejected some of Matovic's other conditions, including a request for Sulik's party to give up one of its three ministries. — Karel Janicek, Star Tribune, "Slovak premier resigns to end crisis over Russian vaccine," 28 Mar. 2021 As British health officials have recognized, vaping is a highly effective way for people to give up cigarette smoking, thereby saving numerous lives. — Steve Forbes, Forbes, "E-Cigarettes vs. Tobacco And What Anti-Vapers Are Getting Wrong," 19 Mar. 2021 In contrast to adult dogs, which usually give up after a few seconds and look to humans for assistance, the pups rarely gazed at their scientist companions for help. — David Grimm, Science | AAAS, "These adorable puppies may help explain why dogs understand our body language," 17 Mar. 2021 But decades later, the Judean Desert still had more secrets to give up. — New York Times, "Newly Discovered Dead Sea Scroll Fragments Revealed," 16 Mar. 2021 Then Neil Lane shows up because that man doesn’t give up his screen time. — Lia Beck, refinery29.com, "The Bachelor Season 25 Finale Recap: The Show Is Over, Say Goodbye," 16 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'give up.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.