as in dedicated
to keep or intend for a special purpose
unfortunately, when he was in college, weekends were largely given up to binge drinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gave up (to)
Verb
-
The business partners dedicated the coffee shop's profits to help chip away at their employees' cost of living to help combat housing insecurity in the community.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
7 Nov. 2025 -
The video depicts a surreal world where a young man begins seeing the colorful patterns and iconography, like Swedish fish and other candies, that dedicated Candy Crush players will no doubt recognize.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
What a slap in the face to the folks who’ve studied, who’ve researched, who’ve invented, who’ve saved lives, who’ve fought for their lives, who’ve lost their lives, who’ve devoted their lives to keeping that last group as small as possible.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The Spanish chef’s fine-dining concept is an homage to the glories of the world’s oceans, with a strong emphasis on the bounty of the local waters that includes lionfish, Mahi Mahi, and an entire menu section devoted entirely to various renditions of conch.—
Jesse Ashlock,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During inquiries, the ICO found 178 active email accounts using passwords identical or similar to those set by the organization’s IT desk when the account was activated.—
Charlotte Reck,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour shut down rumors of bullying and harassment on the Stranger Things set by posing together and praising each other at the final season premiere event on Thursday.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Gave up (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gave%20up%20%28to%29. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share