gift
noun
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
gift
1 American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
-
gifts
plural
-
something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.
-
the act of giving.
-
something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned.
Those extra points he got in the game were a total gift.
-
a special ability or capacity; natural endowment; talent.
the gift of saying the right thing at the right time.
verb (used with object)
-
gifts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gifted,
past participle, past
-
gifting
present participle
-
to present with as a gift; bestow gifts upon; endow with.
-
to present (someone) with a gift.
just the thing to gift the newlyweds.
GIFT
2
American
[gift]
/ gɪft /
noun
gift
1
British
/ ɡɪft /
noun
-
something given; a present
-
a special aptitude, ability, or power; talent
-
the power or right to give or bestow (esp in the phrases in the gift of, in ( someone's ) gift )
-
the act or process of giving
-
(usually negative) to find fault with a free gift or chance benefit
verb
-
to present (something) as a gift to (a person)
-
(often foll by with) to present (someone) with a gift
-
rare to endow with; bestow
GIFT
2
British
/ ɡɪft /
acronym
gift
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See present 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
giftsimple
-
giftssimple
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have giftedperfect
-
has giftedperfect
-
am giftingprogressive
-
are giftingprogressive
-
is giftingprogressive
-
have been giftingperfect progressive
-
has been giftingperfect progressive
Past
-
giftedsimple
-
had giftedperfect
-
was giftingprogressive
-
were giftingprogressive
-
had been giftingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gift
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse gift; cognate with Old English gift ( Middle English yift ) “marriage gift”; akin to give
Explanation
A gift is an item that's given without any expectation of payment — it's a present. A gift may be the present you receive on your birthday or it may be a natural gift or talent you possess — like your gift for reading lips. People give gifts to mark special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, anniversaries. and some holidays. Sometimes tourists buy gifts while on vacation and bring them home to their friends and family. Another kind of gift is a special ability: "She has such a gift for learning languages." The root of gift is probably the Old Norse gipt or gift, which means both "gift" and "good luck."
Vocabulary lists containing gift
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:
“I have such incredible respect for anybody who knows how to entertain at that level because it’s an absolute gift — and it’s really hard work.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I told her I’d always understood the money as a gift to me, not an investment in the house or an early inheritance for her children.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
The golf club would front constructions costs as a "gift" to Americans and local residents, according to the letter.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Under current law, anyone can give anyone else up to $19,000 of assets annually, free of gift tax and gift-tax reporting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Your dad can’t. It’s a gift given only to the women in my family.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
PGA GIFT: All the past PGA champions at Quail Hollow might have stars in their eyes.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
The Los Angeles couple went through a five-year effort that included hormone treatment, artificial insemination, an ectopic pregnancy, sperm washing and finally GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
In GIFT, by contrast, the embryo drifts quietly into the uterus, much as it would naturally.
From Time Magazine Archive
Asch was trying to find a simpler way to do IVF, one that would not require the skills of an embryologist, when he hit upon the procedure he called gamete intra-Fallopian transfer, or GIFT.
From Time Magazine Archive
"OUR GIFT" has been prepared as a token of affection for our Sunday school Pupils, and it is hoped that it may serve a similar purpose in the hands of other teachers.
From Our Gift by Boston Teachers of the School Street Universalist Sunday School
Here’s an example showing how gifts could save a family taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I’d also be fine with smaller gifts and putting the rest toward our retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The firm focused on making jewelry for everyday wear—often at price points below $300—rather than big-ticket wedding and anniversary gifts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
He held me in his arms when I was a baby, brought me gifts as a child, played cards with my parents, and even worked for my family.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
By spring, he was sending Maggie gifts again, like the engraved portrait of himself created for his upcoming book.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
But he was such a gifted athlete at the University of Minnesota that the Vikings decided he was worth risking in the 17th round of the NFL draft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
As a child I was once gifted a “custom” cassette tape with songs “written for me.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Superintelligence is already used as a term referring to AI systems that can outperform the most gifted humans in a range of tasks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Just a day after Manchester City were found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules, two errors by City players - Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi - gifted world champions Spain two goals.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
“After all, few darajas are as gifted as you.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The extraordinary gifting spree for which he will be remembered began around 2023.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
One of Burning Man’s 10 principles is gifting, which is why the festival runs on a gifting economy.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
After the United States, the gifting initiative launched in Canada in 2006, then the U.K. in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
By gifting you the house, you received your mother’s tax basis rather than a step-up to its fair market value.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
I don’t think Ma could have spent five minutes in this place without running to her car and gifting it some good, high-quality bookends.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
