give
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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
Related Words
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
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.
"For me that's a big thing so him turning 60, I am grateful and that is why I wanted to give this goal to him. Having him around is a blessing."
From BBC • May 9, 2026
In February, Warsh said AI will usher in External link “the most productivity-enhancing wave of our lifetimes” and called it potentially “structurally disinflationary,” suggesting it would give the Fed room to cut rates.
From Barron's • May 9, 2026
Now is the time for the Angels to give Trout a real shot at a postseason by trading him.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
Only about 3 percent of people in the U.S. give blood, and the amount is just enough to cover the need.
From Slate • May 9, 2026
He yips with excitement as his wet nose nuzzles my ear and neck, giving me his best version of a hug a dog can give.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
