give it to

Idioms

Punish or reprimand, as in Dad really gave it to Tom for coming in so late. This expression, implying a physical or verbal attack, dates from the late 1500s. Also see give someone hell. In more recent times the expression gave rise to give it to someone straight, meaning “to tell someone something candidly and directly.” For example, I asked the doctor to give it to use straight about Mother's condition.

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.

“We want Greenland. They don’t want to give it to us. And I said: ‘Bye, bye!’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

They don’t want to give it to us.

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

"I'm working to save money to give it to my family."

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

"It makes sense to use the building and give it to the police, to the public authorities," he said.

From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026

“The elder Mr. Lockwood wrote something down earlier and asked me to give it to Shenice.”

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023