give
Americanverb (used with object)
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gives,
present (3rd person singular)
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gave,
past
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given,
past participle
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giving
present participle
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to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow.
to give a birthday present to someone.
- Antonyms:
- receive
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to hand to someone.
Give me that plate, please.
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to place in someone's care.
If you give me your coat, I'll put it in the closet.
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to grant (permission, opportunity, etc.) to someone.
Give me a chance.
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to impart or communicate.
to give advice; to give a cold to someone.
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to set forth or show; present; offer.
He gave no reason for his lateness.
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to pay or transfer possession to another in exchange for something.
They gave five dollars for the picture. He gave me the car for $800.
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to furnish, provide, or proffer.
to give evidence; Let me give you my umbrella before you go out in this rain.
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to provide as an entertainment or social function.
to give a New Year's Eve party.
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to deal or administer.
to give a blow to someone; to give medicine to a patient.
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to put forth, emit, or utter; issue.
to give a cry; to give a command.
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to assign or admit as a basis of calculation or reasoning (usually used passively).
These facts being given, the argument makes sense.
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to produce, yield, or afford.
to give good results; 9 × 8 gives 72; The hen gave six eggs a week.
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to make, do, or perform.
to give a start; to give a lurch.
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to perform or present publicly.
to give a play; to give a concert.
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to cause; be responsible for (usually followed by an infinitive).
They gave me to understand that you would be there.
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to care about something to the value or extent of (something fanciful).
I don't give a hoot about his opinion.
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to relinquish or sacrifice.
to give one's life for a cause.
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to convey or transmit.
Give Aunt Betty my love.
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to assign or allot.
Give every man a full ration of biscuits. They gave him the name of “Joseph.”
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to bestow (the object of one's choice) upon, as if by providence.
Give me the wide open spaces anytime.
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to be connected with, as by a telephone operator.
Give me 235-7522.
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to present to an audience, as an entertainer, speaker, or act.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the governor of Texas.
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to attribute or ascribe.
to give the devil his due; After long study the critic gave the unsigned work to a minor impressionist.
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to cause or occasion.
She gives me a pain in the neck.
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to apply fully or freely.
He gives his free time to golf.
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to award by verdict or after consideration.
A decision was given for the defendant.
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to inflict as a punishment on another; punish by; impose a sentence of.
The judge gave him five years.
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to pledge, offer as a pledge, or execute and deliver.
He gave her his promise. Can you give bond?
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to propose as the subject of a toast (followed by an indirect object).
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our country.
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to bear to a man; deliver (followed by an indirect object).
She gave him a beautiful baby boy.
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to sire upon a woman; father (followed by an indirect object).
He gave her two children in the first five years of marriage.
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to concede or grant, as a point in an argument.
verb (used without object)
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gives,
present (3rd person singular)
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gave,
past
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given,
past participle
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giving
present participle
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to make a gift or gifts; contribute.
to give to the United Way.
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to yield somewhat, as to influence or force; compromise.
We can't negotiate until each side is willing to give on some points.
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to yield somewhat when subjected to weight, force, pressure, etc..
A horsehair mattress doesn't give much.
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to collapse; break down; fall apart; fail.
The antique chair gave when I sat on it.
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to be warm and open in relationships with other persons.
a withdrawn person who doesn't know how to give.
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Informal. to divulge information.
Okay now, give! What happened?
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to afford a view or passage; face, open, or lead (usually followed by on, onto, etc.).
The window gives on the sea. This door gives onto the hallway.
noun
verb phrase
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give out
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to send out; emit.
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to make public; announce.
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to distribute; issue.
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to become exhausted.
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to become used up; fail.
The fuel gave out.
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to do or express something, especially unrestrainedly or easily.
to give out with a song.
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give birth to. birth.
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give over
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to put into the care of; transfer.
She gave over all her property to her daughter.
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to put an end to; stop.
They will never give over their impossible dreams.
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to indulge in without restraint.
She gave herself over to tears.
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to devote to a specified activity.
The day was given over to relaxing in the sun.
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give in
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to acknowledge defeat; yield.
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to hand in; deliver.
Please give in your timecards.
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give away
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to give as a present; bestow.
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to present (the bride) to the bridegroom in a marriage ceremony.
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to expose or betray (a person).
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to reveal (a confidence or secret, hidden motives, true feelings, etc.).
That remark gave away his real feelings.
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give of to devote or contribute generously of.
to give of oneself; to give of one's abundance.
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give off to put forth; emit.
The gardenia gives off a very strong fragrance.
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give up
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to abandon hope; despair.
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to desist from; renounce.
to give up smoking.
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to surrender; relinquish.
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to devote (oneself ) entirely to.
She gave herself up to her job and seldom saw her old friends.
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South Midland U.S. to consider; deem.
She's given up to be the kindest woman around here.
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give back to return (something), as to its owner; restore.
You haven't given back the books you borrowed from me.
idioms
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give and take,
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to compromise in order to cooperate.
A willingness to give and take is important for success in marriage.
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to exchange ideas.
an informal meeting in which there would be opportunities to give and take.
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give or take, plus or minus a specified amount; more or less.
It will cost $20, give or take a dollar or two.
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give rise to. rise.
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give way. way.
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give battle. battle.
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give it to, to reprimand or punish.
His father really gave it to him for coming home so late.
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give ground, to yield before superior force, as of arms or of reasoning.
verb
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(also intr) to present or deliver voluntarily (something that is one's own) to the permanent possession of another or others
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(often foll by for) to transfer (something that is one's own, esp money) to the possession of another as part of an exchange
to give fifty pounds for a painting
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to place in the temporary possession of another
I gave him my watch while I went swimming
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to grant, provide, or bestow
give me some advice
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to administer
to give a reprimand
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to award or attribute
to give blame, praise, etc
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to be a source of
he gives no trouble
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to impart or communicate
to give news
give a person a cold
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to utter or emit
to give a shout
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to perform, make, or do
the car gave a jolt and stopped
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to sacrifice or devote
he gave his life for his country
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to surrender
to give place to others
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to concede or yield
I will give you this game
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informal (intr) to happen
what gives?
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(often foll by to) to cause; lead
she gave me to believe that she would come
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(foll by for) to value (something) at
I don't give anything for his promises
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to perform or present as an entertainment
to give a play
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to propose as a toast
I give you the Queen
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(intr) to yield or break under force or pressure
this surface will give if you sit on it
his courage will never give
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to respond to verbal or bodily blows to at least an equal extent as those received
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to commence fighting
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(often foll by to)
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to bear (offspring)
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to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)
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slang to greet or congratulate someone by slapping raised hands
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to draw back or retreat
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slang to applaud someone
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slang to have sex with someone
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to be the cause of
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informal I prefer
give me hot weather any day!
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plus or minus
three thousand people came, give or take a few hundred
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See way
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informal to punish or reprimand a person severely
noun
Synonym Usage
Give, confer, grant, present may mean that something concrete or abstract is bestowed on one person by another. Give is the general word: to give someone a book, permission, etc. Confer usually means to give an honor or a favor; it implies courteous and gracious giving: to confer a degree. Grant is limited to the idea of acceding to a request; it may apply to the bestowal of privileges, or the fulfillment of an expressed wish: to grant a charter, a prayer, permission, etc. Present, a more formal word than give, usually implies a certain ceremony in the giving: to present a citation to a regiment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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givernoun
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regiveverb
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givableadjective
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giveableadjective
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nongivingadjective
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self-givingadjective
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ungiveableadjective
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ungivingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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givesimple
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givessimple
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have givenperfect
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has givenperfect
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am givingprogressive
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are givingprogressive
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is givingprogressive
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have been givingperfect progressive
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has been givingperfect progressive
Past
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gavesimple
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had givenperfect
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was givingprogressive
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were givingprogressive
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had been givingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of give
First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Old Norse gefa (compare Danish give ); replacing Middle English yeven, yiven, Old English gefan, giefan; cognate with Dutch geven, German geben, Gothic giban (the pronunciation of the Middle English and Old English forms with initial y- were replaced by Old Norse g- as early as 1200 in parts of the Danelaw ( def. ) )
Explanation
When you give something, you hand over possession to someone else. Give can also be a noun; a material that has give has the ability to stretch. Just as you can take many things, so can you give many things. You can give a gift, give a party, or give your car keys to friend, but just temporarily. If you give someone a chance, you let them have an opportunity. If you give your word, you make a promise. If give your hand, you marry — or at least hold hands. You can also give by communicating or passing something on — like your regards, or a cold.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Twenty years ago, as long as you produced a motorcycle, even if it didn't start, people would line up to give you money," Zhang said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
"If I wanted to describe it, the closest description I can give is that it is like having your soul ripped away. I cannot imagine myself without my land."
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“We give companies and countries freedom, because our system is immune to sanctions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Destroying the 2027 baseball season will give the team’s starting rotation a full year to recover from its numerous injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
You step into her line of sight, give her an understanding smile.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The 48-team tournament and potential for an even bigger 64-team competition gives a view of further commercial opportunities.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
By keeping them out, locally produced C3 gives the immune system a better opportunity to recognize and fight tumor cells.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I’m holding space for people’s pain, but also we’re able to hold on to the hope that our faith gives us, that’s strengthening us,” she said, tearing up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
That gives the movement a potential staying power beyond the original dispute.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
A sound guy turns a couple of dials, then gives a thumbs-up.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Díaz gave up back-to-back triples to Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll to tie the score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Another treasure in the collection for Val is a miniature school for little bears - she said she still remembers all the names she gave to the little pupils.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
President Vladimir Putin gave it his blessing last year, taking part by video link in the opening of an A7 branch office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The next inning, Pages gave the Dodgers the lead with a solo homer off Diamondbacks lefty Brandyn Garcia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
The smiling slender man in his early thirties, with his protruding ears, balding head, and minuscule glasses, gave an elaborate bow.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
In the mid-2000s, he said, he learned what one villager after another had discovered: Local property officials had given Shehu control of their peninsula land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The company said it consulted with councils which were given the opportunity to assess whether an address was suitable.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Abdolreza Davari, an analyst who once advised former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Iran’s effective control of the strait has given it leverage with the U.S. and regional countries that can help guarantee its security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
"One thing is certain: the drone was carrying a significant amount of explosives, given that it could be heard from a distance and produced such black smoke," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
The command was given and we shuffled forward down the long chilly halls, each carrying a pillowcase, with her belongings forming a little bulge at the bottom.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Even with all the fanfare, the man giving out raffle tickets at the front entrance encapsulated it perfectly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
On Friday evening, Thompson had been giving updates on the rapidly-spreading fire from the emergency operations centre.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
If an emergency occurs during a market downturn, for example, having a cash reserve can help you avoid withdrawing from your portfolio while it’s temporarily depressed, giving your investments more time to recover.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
As I thinned out the garage shelves—recycling old paint, giving away a box of used electric outlets, listing plumbing supplies on Craigslist’s “free stuff” section—the shelves grew neater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
He bounced around and took nothing from his brothers and sisters, giving two bites for every one he got.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
