give·away
ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā 
plural giveaways
1
: an unintentional revelation or betrayal
2
a
: something given away free
specifically
: premium sense 1d
b
: the act of giving something away free
staging a promotional giveaway
3
: a radio or television program on which prizes are given away
4
sports
: an error or poor play that allows an opponent to gain control of the ball or puck : a mistake that results in a turnover
As a team the Dolphins have committed a league-low 12 giveaways.—
Jim Trotter
Jim Trotter
gave away; given away; giving away; gives away
1
: to make a present of
2
: to deliver (a bride) ceremonially to the bridegroom at a wedding
4
: to give (something, such as weight) by way of a handicap
Synonyms
Examples of giveaway in a Sentence
Noun
The way she looked at him was a dead giveaway that they were more than just friends.
The store is offering coffee mugs as free giveaways to attract new customers.
The store is staging a promotional giveaway to attract new customers.
Verb
the insincerity of his apology was given away by that slight smirk on his face
gave away all her potted plants when she moved
Recent Examples on the WebUSA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
An opening celebration starts with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m., followed by live entertainment, giveaways and promotions throughout the day.
—The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024
Local churches and vendors offered free produce and tacos to attendees but there was no direct mention of a turkey giveaway until the day of the event.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Some of the giveaways include a replica World Series Trophy, replica World Series Rings and a Corey Seager World Series MVP bobblehead.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Email address: Like other Thai parents, they’d been bombarded by formula advertising on television, online and in grocery stores, where a rainbow of boxes and canisters of powdered toddler milk featured teddy bears in graduation caps and giveaways like toys or diapers.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 21 Mar. 2024
On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., visitors can follow the GameDay coverage for analysis and insight from the ESPN crew, as well as participate in the Fan Zone, an interactive experience for visitors to enjoy photo-ops and giveaways.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
MrBeast, the YouTuber known for big-money giveaways, is going bigger than ever with his new show on Amazon’s Prime Video.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
Easter Fun Fest This free event hosted by the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department will have carnival rides, a big top circus, a high velocity slide, face painting, DJs, community resources, a health fair, inflatables, giveaways, food trucks and more.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
The restaurant chain will also give away 100,000 buy-one, get-one free entrée codes April 2 and 3 when the games begins at noon PT both days.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Molly, in Season 2, is tasked with living up to her Season 1 cliffhanger promise of giving away every last cent of her billions to the charitable causes that her charity, the Wells Foundation, supports.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Corsicana, Texas Corsicana Visitor Center and gift shop—in the path of totality—is giving away complimentary eclipse glasses.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The team is giving away a Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead to the first 30,000 fans.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Earlier that week, on a leafy plot in the Four Corners neighborhood, Wu announced the first round of contractors for Welcome Home, Boston, an initiative that gives away municipal land for the development of affordable housing.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Yield Giving’s first round of donations is more than double what Scott had initially pledged to give away through the application process.
—Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
The restaurant chain is giving away free wings to every fan with a busted bracket, starting Tuesday, March 19, through April 8, the company announced in a news release last Thursday.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
For fans of the show, there was one telltale giveaway: Some of the clips show Squad 3 emblazoned on the truck, the number of the unit depicted in the series.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
An opening celebration starts with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m., followed by live entertainment, giveaways and promotions throughout the day.
—The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024
Local churches and vendors offered free produce and tacos to attendees but there was no direct mention of a turkey giveaway until the day of the event.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Some of the giveaways include a replica World Series Trophy, replica World Series Rings and a Corey Seager World Series MVP bobblehead.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Email address: Like other Thai parents, they’d been bombarded by formula advertising on television, online and in grocery stores, where a rainbow of boxes and canisters of powdered toddler milk featured teddy bears in graduation caps and giveaways like toys or diapers.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 21 Mar. 2024
On Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., visitors can follow the GameDay coverage for analysis and insight from the ESPN crew, as well as participate in the Fan Zone, an interactive experience for visitors to enjoy photo-ops and giveaways.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
MrBeast, the YouTuber known for big-money giveaways, is going bigger than ever with his new show on Amazon’s Prime Video.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
Easter Fun Fest This free event hosted by the Detroit Parks & Recreation Department will have carnival rides, a big top circus, a high velocity slide, face painting, DJs, community resources, a health fair, inflatables, giveaways, food trucks and more.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Only the snarl of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 will give away that this wagon’s packing 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of yank.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
The restaurant chain will also give away 100,000 buy-one, get-one free entrée codes April 2 and 3 when the games begins at noon PT both days.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Molly, in Season 2, is tasked with living up to her Season 1 cliffhanger promise of giving away every last cent of her billions to the charitable causes that her charity, the Wells Foundation, supports.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Corsicana, Texas Corsicana Visitor Center and gift shop—in the path of totality—is giving away complimentary eclipse glasses.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The team is giving away a Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead to the first 30,000 fans.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Earlier that week, on a leafy plot in the Four Corners neighborhood, Wu announced the first round of contractors for Welcome Home, Boston, an initiative that gives away municipal land for the development of affordable housing.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Yield Giving’s first round of donations is more than double what Scott had initially pledged to give away through the application process.
—Thalia Beaty, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
The restaurant chain is giving away free wings to every fan with a busted bracket, starting Tuesday, March 19, through April 8, the company announced in a news release last Thursday.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'giveaway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing giveaway
Dictionary Entries Near giveaway
Cite this Entry
“Giveaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giveaway. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
giveaway
1 of 2 noun
give·away
ˈgiv-ə-ˌwā
1
: an unintentional act of revealing or betraying
his expression was a dead giveaway of his guilt
2
: something that is given away free
3
: an event at which things are given away
More from Merriam-Webster on giveaway
Nglish: Translation of giveaway for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about giveaway
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