as in surrender
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently
I hope you won't give up playing the piano
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of giving up
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
The regime’s hardliners have repeatedly warned that giving up on uranium enrichment would amount to national humiliation.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Glasnow pitched two-plus innings, retiring the first six batters before coming out after giving up a single to start the third inning.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
None of the monks ever thought of giving up.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Traditions and practices of Lent have changed over the thousands of years, but one frequent customt is giving up meat.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
For Nikita and Oksana, giving up was never an option.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
The regime’s hardliners have repeatedly warned that giving up on uranium enrichment would amount to national humiliation.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Glasnow pitched two-plus innings, retiring the first six batters before coming out after giving up a single to start the third inning.
—Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
None of the monks ever thought of giving up.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
Traditions and practices of Lent have changed over the thousands of years, but one frequent customt is giving up meat.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
For Nikita and Oksana, giving up was never an option.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for giving up
Noun
-
Everybunny Counts Rabbit Rescue is planning a major expansion at its Ellington facility later this year as the nonprofit faces increasing surrender requests.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Watson said the surrender of property would also ensure Delgado’s cooperation and prevent him from fleeing with the items.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Researchers warned about relinquishing autonomy without interpretability.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
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
-
Agents exchanged unverified data, and discussed abandoning English in favor of a machine-native language.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The elder Junod gave off mixed messages, abusing his long-suffering wife while indulging his gifted son.—
Hamilton Cain,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
-
There’s a conversation for Nebraska worth indulging this spring.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In response, Moreno signed a voluntary relinquishment of Spa Bar’s massage establishment license in July.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
10 Dec. 2025
-
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
-
At around minute 23, emergency responders are seen rendering care and checking Martinez's body for exit wounds.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The programmatic shuffle is rendering parts of the old Artemis plan obsolete, leaving major ground hardware half-built and an uncertain future for the Gateway moon-orbiting space station under development.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
