Showing results for "given"

• past participle of give.

given

American  

[giv-uhn] / ˈgɪv ən /

verb

1. past participle of give.

---

adjective

1. stated, fixed, or specified.

   at a given time.

2. addicted or disposed (often followed byto ).

   given to making snide remarks.

3. bestowed as a gift; conferred.

4. assigned as a basis of calculation, reasoning, etc..

   Given A and B, C follows.

5. Mathematics. known or independently determined.

   a given magnitude.

6. (on official documents) executed and delivered as of the date shown.

noun

givens plural

1. an established fact, condition, factor, etc.

given British  

/ ˈɡɪvən /

verb

1. the past participle of give

---

adjective

1. tending (to); inclined or addicted (to)

2. specific or previously stated

3. assumed as a premise

4. maths known or determined independently

   a given volume

5. (on official documents) issued or executed, as on a stated date

noun

1. an assumed fact

2. philosophy the supposed raw data of experience See also sense datum

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-given
  adjective
• ungiven
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• givens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of given

First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective

Explanation

A given is some detail or fact that is known to be true. Your mother might say, "It's a given that I'll always love you, no matter how annoying you are." Something's a given if it's an established situation that you're sure of. It's a given that a first class airplane ticket will cost a lot more than a seat in coach, and it's also a given that the earth orbits the sun. It can also be an adjective: "After considering the given facts, mark an answer on the multiple-choice test." Given comes from the verb give, which has an Old English root of giefan, "to bestow, allot, or commit."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

given givens

Once aboard, he was given a suite, clothes and food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

"Many people in the Haitian diaspora are worried about what this means for their families and whether returning to Haiti is safe or realistic given the current conditions," she added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

"My message to young people is this - whether you choose construction, coding or classics, or maths, manufacturing or mechanics, you'll get the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The backing by Nvidia would enable SoftBank to raise debt on more favorable terms, the Journal noted, which would otherwise be challenging given how S&P Global has flagged OpenAI as a key credit risk.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

She’d given me that piece so I’d share the full wheel at home.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

His thinking begins instead with three separate givens: God, world, human being.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Bolch: A few things have become givens about the Bruins under Chip Kelly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2023

But coach Bev Priestman suggested that growing parity means there are no givens.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 17, 2023

Things once viewed as inconceivable are now unavoidable; things once taken as givens are now in doubt.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2020

The givens, all I’d been taught, fell away like so many covers when you sit up in bed.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez