give away
Britishverb
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to donate or bestow as a gift, prize, etc
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to sell very cheaply
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to reveal or betray (esp in the phrases give the game or show away )
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to fail to use (an opportunity) through folly or neglect
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to present (a bride) formally to her husband in a marriage ceremony
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informal to give up or abandon (something)
noun
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a betrayal or disclosure of information, esp when unintentional
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something given, esp with articles on sale, at little or no charge to increase sales, attract publicity, etc
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journalism another name for freesheet
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a radio or television programme characterized by the award of money and prizes
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(modifier)
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very cheap (esp in the phrase giveaway prices )
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free of charge
a giveaway property magazine
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Make a gift of, bestow, as in I decided to give away all my plants . [c. 1400]
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Present a bride to the groom in a marriage ceremony, as in Her father gave Karen away . [c. 1700]
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Reveal or make something known, often unintentionally; also, betray or expose someone. For example, She gave away her true feelings , or He gave away his accomplices . This idiom is sometimes put as give oneself away , as in If you don't want the family to know about your gambling, don't give yourself away by spending your winnings . [Late 1800s]
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.
A teen found a way to ease her anxiety and despair: Give away thousands of books to sick children.
From Washington Post • Feb. 13, 2022
Q. Re: Give away the dog: I agree with Prudie’s advice, but with a few additional suggestions: First, document everything.
From Slate • Apr. 24, 2018
Give away a sleeve here, a hemline there, and what have you got?
From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2015
Give away too much in a review and it's a spoiler; too little and the review becomes hamstrung by its own tight-lipped refusal to divulge.
From The Guardian • Sep. 22, 2010
Give away and use what you can, but buy.
From Phyllis by Johnson, Percy D.
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.
