as in surrender
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1
as in relinquishing
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
was in so much debt he had to give up his house and move into a cheaper apartment
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently
I hope you won't give up playing the piano
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3
as in succumbing
to yield to the control or power of enemy forces
with the prospect of a renewed enemy attack, the regiment decided to simply give up
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4
as in indulging
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly
even in the darkest days of her troubled marriage, she refused to give herself up to feelings of utter hopelessness
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of giving up
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Hall went a step further last Thursday, giving up three hits and one run to the Cougars while striking out three in three innings of work.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
He was credited for giving up 41 receptions for 483 yards and five touchdowns to assignments last season.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
The heyday of the ’90s mallrat might be over, but Gen Z isn’t giving up on brick-and-mortar just yet.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
The Mets were giving up two major league-ready prospects to get Peralta.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
Benjamin Reinhard, 14, won by correctly spelling the word kenosis, which refers to the act of a Christian person voluntarily giving up their personal rights and ambitions and accepting suffering, according to the spelling bee’s definition.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Family members agreed to a conservation easement in 2015, essentially giving up development rights, and have now sold it for preservation under state ownership.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Most good teams are OK giving up one of those things, not both.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Fred agreed at the end of the season to restructure that big contract, taking a $250,000 pay cut, giving up a $500,000 bonus and dropping his buyout by $4 million.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Hall went a step further last Thursday, giving up three hits and one run to the Cougars while striking out three in three innings of work.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
He was credited for giving up 41 receptions for 483 yards and five touchdowns to assignments last season.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
The heyday of the ’90s mallrat might be over, but Gen Z isn’t giving up on brick-and-mortar just yet.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 13 Mar. 2026
The Mets were giving up two major league-ready prospects to get Peralta.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
Benjamin Reinhard, 14, won by correctly spelling the word kenosis, which refers to the act of a Christian person voluntarily giving up their personal rights and ambitions and accepting suffering, according to the spelling bee’s definition.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
Family members agreed to a conservation easement in 2015, essentially giving up development rights, and have now sold it for preservation under state ownership.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Most good teams are OK giving up one of those things, not both.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for giving up
Noun
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Trump also talks about Iran’s unconditional surrender without really detailing what those surrender terms might look like.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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What does that look like, unconditional surrender?—
Major Garrett,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Researchers warned about relinquishing autonomy without interpretability.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
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Their dreadful February reeks of a team that grew desperate to reap the benefits of a dying method, at least somewhat relinquishing its old, stubborn ways.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More than a dozen other signs reference a former redlight district, the Civil War, and a presidential party abandoning a leaky ship and swimming to shore.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
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Agents exchanged unverified data, and discussed abandoning English in favor of a machine-native language.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yet Guardiola has not made his reputation as one of the greatest coaches in history by succumbing to end-of-season pressure.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Hind's cousin was later killed in another close-range attack, while Hind died several hours later after succumbing to wounds while waiting for help.—
Alexander Durie,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
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There’s a conversation for Nebraska worth indulging this spring.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In response, Moreno signed a voluntary relinquishment of Spa Bar’s massage establishment license in July.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
10 Dec. 2025
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But in 2022, when people returned to their offices or got new jobs and work schedules changed, the San Clemente shelter relinquishments jumped 87%, with 131 animals dropped off.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her old septic system was not designed to handle the soggy soil in her leach field, rendering the system unusable for six months out of the year.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
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Despite the contrivance, Jewson makes fascinating theater out of this, flipping the archetypal image of the ballerina, and therefore femininity, on its head and rendering it as a kind of weapon, forged by years of putting up with enormous pain, against a world beset by patriarchal violence.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But UConn faltered in the second half, surrendering a 20-4 run and at one point going nearly eight minutes between field goals.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Second- and third-round picks usually only return depth players at the deadline, but Columbus has acquired a legitimate difference-maker with term beyond this season without surrendering a first-round pick or any prospects.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Giving up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/giving%20up. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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